From If To I'm Sure
by CharlotteValentine
Summary: NozoEli fan fiction. Cyber Vs Magic AU. Added a lot of thick hints on a few other pairing. Rated M for later sex scene/violence and some other thing. Hope you enjoy it! UPDATE: 11/20/2016: EXTRA STORY ADDED!
1. The Soldier Game

**Ok, here is the next FF,**

**Inspired from conversation with Kurosea**

**While waiting for some opinions to gather up, I'm gonna post the test chapter...see if this is interesting enough~**

* * *

The dark sky brightens by the soft blue lights attached on every pattern of the huge dome, the glossy floor reflects its shines, the walls sturdily protect all the civilians inside the giant mother spaceship, while the thick glasses on their windows projecting beautiful scenery with forest and seas.

Ayase Eli, the best Vanguard who is an expert of a great sword-axe which strength known to be able to break the toughest shield on the galaxy when swung above specific force, then it's length and design could advantage melee and mid-range plus an additional force chain which she can use from her glove that allowing her to pull a ranged enemy and defense against them as well. She named her weapon as 'The End of Ordinary Sorrow'. She is known as the most brilliant fighter in galaxy.

She sat on her bed—wearing a set of neat white metal armored black suit with icy blue energy crystals, her eyes glued to the window, she always been captivated by the view that projected there. She stays in the big room with two of her juniors which also the best of their class.

One is Sonoda Umi, a very skilled Marksman who earned her elite title after she took down a hundred monster with thirty flash arrows along with her so well crafted weapon— a sword that could be transformed into a huge bow or a crossbow with its complex mechanic, she named her weapon as 'Reason of Courage', the design is flawless and because it's very light, she could swing them in a supersonic speed.

She is wearing black armored dark blue suit with deep blue energy crystals, sitting on her seat as she reads some articles in her tablet, quietly enjoying a bottle of warm tea. She is always be in her serious nature and she is also known as the most disciplined fighter around.

Second is Nishikino Maki, the most feared Assassin who is known as someone who never give mercy to her opponent, her weapon is a pair of Gun-claws which ammo are very limited but also very deadly in the same time as it contain a corrosive poison while the claws itself could penetrate through most elite armors. She named her weapon as 'Daring!'. She is also known as the quickest fighter in galaxy.

She is taking a liking in music and often spends her time in her room to listen or compose one in her tablet while wearing brave red armored black suit with blazing red energy crystal. Unlike her two seniors who's almost excellent at everything, she is very lack of talent in daily life talent such as Art of Culinary. She often depends on the two seniors when it's about food, but on the other side, although her two seniors also skilled in Medical and Health Technique, she is a lot more stands out than them in that talent which made her two seniors depends on her in it.

The Trio always excellent when it's about battle, but…

"It's a break time from school, why are we still in the room and doing what we usually do…?" Eli asked, her eyes still glued on the windows.

Umi puts down her tablet,

"Have you got any idea for what we should do?" Umi asked back.

"Honestly, no, still no idea…." Eli said.

"You should think of the idea properly, let's not repeat last year's holiday…" Maki said— she is still on her tablet, playing some music.

"Ah—you're right… let's not…" Eli sighed.

"I still can't forget that though, we tried so hard to look feminine and we still ended up to be attracting the girls… and the boys still bro-zoned us…" Umi said.

"We didn't do that to impress them anyway— we just want to prove that we're proud females…" Eli said.

"Yeah—no kidding, even though I thought you just want to prove that we don't swing that way…" Maki said.

"Do you?" Eli asked.

"Huh? Do I? Well… I'm not sure either, sometime I kind of like it when they're all over me…but…. I don't know…." Maki said as she sigh.

"What about you, Umi?" Eli asked.

"I don't actually appeal in love matter, I prefer to put my passion in my battle…" Umi said.

"You can't combine your DNA with RoC, ok? You can't marry your weapon…" Eli said.

"Do I ever say I want to get married? Maybe I prefer to be a dedicated warrior until my end of time…" Umi said.

"We're going to remember that, ok?" Maki said.

"Go on, I don't think there's anyone that could make me go crazy, I don't happen to know anyone appealing around us anyway…." Umi said,

Maki and Eli chuckled,

"We always get overwhelmed by girls, how we would see anyone interesting that way?" Eli said with playful smile

"The boys are rather so bro-ing us around too, bro-this bro-that, bro let's play some Space Dunk, bro let's get on patrol, bro how's the girls in the Marine Force? Bro How's the girl in Air Force? Bro can you give me some love tips? Totally bro-zoned…" Maki said.

"The thing I always wonder is when they ask, bro-you gay bro? I don't know if they refer to females or males…" Umi said.

Eli and Maki laughed hard.

"But at least it's still not as bothering as when they ask like, bro, how do you take care of your D?" Maki said.

"They might refer to your weapon, you know—I mean, look, they calls Eli's TEOS , Mine with RoC, yours should be D…" Umi said as she giggles.

"Either way I'll totally tell them, lubricate it, bro… with your mouth if possible…" Eli said playfully.

They burst in laughter.

"Eli! God! You totally nailed it!" Maki said.

"I don't know why am I laughing at that joke, I really not…" Umi said as she face palmed.

"But hey, that remind me, we should go to the forge to grind our weapon. We haven't done that in a while…" Eli said.

"You mean grinding my D? Eli… you did that in purpose…" Maki said as she still laughing.

The still burst in laughter,

"But I'm serious, we should keep an eye on our weapon's sharpness—Else we won't get to penetrate it…" Eli emphasis on words penetrate,

And the laugh getting louder,

"Eli! Stop! For the sake of god!…Eli….I'm dead…" Umi said.

"Now-now! I'm serious, peoples love strong and sharp weapon, enemies loves them, and we loves them too…let's go!" Eli said.

"Right…let's go do that… oh God…" Umi tried to stop laughing.

"I really wonder why you can't go like this when around those girls, Eli… like, you're so different from when you're outside than when you're inside this very room…" Maki said.

Eli and Umi paused a bit.

"Huh? Well, they just simply annoys me…" Eli said with a faint smile.

Umi just give out a faint smile as well.

"Let me guess… You are talking about those food boxes on locker with letters 'if you eat this you have to come and date with me' things?" Maki asked.

"Yes… we have to give those to the boys since we don't want it go spoiled in our locker… We can get penalty from it…" Umi said.

"Uhn…yeah you're right, but I usually just share that to my family clinic workers… but anyway, have you actually get penalty from it?" Maki asked.

"Eli did, she doesn't always go to check her lockers and those are just in there when she did a week later. She got an hour lecture for that—you know how much food are valued here..." Umi said.

"Hmm… then next time you can just give it to me so I can send it to my workers…" Maki said.

"Thanks Maki…" Eli said.

"I wonder though, I know that you're not good at Culinary class, but have you ever think of eating one?" Umi asked.

"No, and it's pretty risky to eat one, I always told my worker to check on the food and sometime it contains sleeping powder or hallucination powder… those girls are pretty extreme sometimes…" Maki said.

"Ah….I see…" Umi glanced away.

"You looks like you used to eat them…" Eli said.

"Uhn…well…I did… I ate two of them and know what happen next? Two girls approached me and they're like, so…senpai, do you like mine or hers?" Umi said.

Eli and Maki giggled,

"…and then I was like, what? I like both... they're food… who doesn't like food? Then I realize there's a message down there saying about if you eat it then you must go out with me…" Umi said.

"So…did you get mauled?" Maki asked.

"No… they're kind of fighting on their own and I ran away…" Umi said.

"Way to go, Umi…" Eli said.

"Now you made me kind of want to see it happen…" Maki said.

"Did you feel weird after eating it though?" Eli asked.

"No, there's nothing weird… so I guess I'm just lucky they don't add sleeping powder or hallucination powder in it…" Umi said.

"What about you, Eli? Have you ever ate them?" Maki asked.

"Nah, not a chance… I don't take food from strangers…" Eli said.

"Being a good girl…aren't you?" Maki said.

Eli giggled,

"Of course…"

"Speaking of which, I think we can go grind weapons now, then maybe we can have some fun out there? Let's play in arcade, let's have a score match in the rhythm game…" Maki said.

"Ha—sure!" Eli said.

"I don't mind with some other fun challenge too… let's do our best…" Umi said.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the planet earth;

Forest grown in almost part of the land while the seas are crystal clear, the sky is blue and bright. The earth has never been this beautiful ever since magic are born. Cities are only built in small part of the land while some villages spread all over the forest and grass fields.

There's this one village with only three peoples living in it.

The eldest one, Toujou Nozomi, an expert of mind magic which is capable of bending and controlling various elements around the world and magic technology, with help of mystic emerald which she attached on her armored glove which could boost and multiple her power. She have never held weapon but she is also capable to do physical fight in melee range.

She is running a school of magic which placed somewhere a little further from the village, children with gifts from the cities and some other villages around the area would come just to get education about how they use their magic. It may not be the best one in the world, but it's still count as one of the decent. She is also the most reliable one in the village and often getting her students visits her for guidance.

The second one, Minami Kotori, an expert of wind and electricity magic, also a master of alchemy, she runs a workshop in her village and a lot of people came by to buy items from her workshop. From medicines to explosives, they always sold out within a week.

She is also taking a tailoring hobby where she often spends her time to create one and sold into the city with Nozomi's help. She is also taking a part time job in Nozomi's school as an alchemy teacher.

Third one, Koizumi Hanayo, an expert of nature, healing and earth magic, also a master of agriculture and biology, she runs a farm in her village which provides materials for the city, her friend's workshop and the source of the village food supplies. She is also running an Inn in the village with workers from the city and other village who only stay at their work shift.

Three of them are very good at working together to make a living, but….

"Nozomi-chaaaaan!" a cute voice calling. Nozomi, in white shirt, red long vest, dark blue long skirt, black necktie—Currently working on a paper work, turning her sight at the door which suddenly open,

"What's wrong, Kotori-chan?" she asked with motherly tone.

Kotori—in a finely designed cute green dress with light yellow and gray gradation ran in.

"I made it! I made it!" She said cheerfully.

"What did you make now?" Nozomi asked.

"He-he! I made this!" She showed her a piece of pink Macaroon on her hand.

"Macaroon?" Nozomi wondered.

"Yup! This is indestructible Macaroon…!" Kotori said.

"Uhm…I see… but…why?" Nozomi asked.

"Because… it gets annoying when you bring them in your bag then suddenly it gets destroyed on the way…. eating Macaroon is best when the shape is perfect!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"But… if it's indestructible…. You can't eat it…" Nozomi said.

"Eh, no, of course you can! It's still a food after all!" Kotori said before she put the Macaroon on her mouth and…

A cracking sound….

"W-waa! Kotori-chan! Your mouth is bleeding!" Nozomi said as she quickly stands from her seat.

Kotori began to cry.

"L-let's just call Hanayo-chan? Ok?" Nozomi said panic.

* * *

Back to the spaceship,

Eli and Maki on the battle dance floor, facing to the arcade machine as they wait for their song to play, Umi watching them from behind as she keeps an eye on their bag. There also crowds gathering around them, some are cheering their name in excitement.

A few second before the song start, the crowd began to quiet down and watching them intensely. Eli and Maki began to dance in a very swift and flexible motion, they both are very good at pacing their tempo.

As the song keep playing, Eli and Maki's eyes are very focused on the screen. Their battle is no longer about getting a full combo, it's about getting the most number of perfects.

When the song is about to end, the crowds began to cheer for their name again.

"Ha!" Eli and Maki shouts as the song end.

Then the results started to show.

Maki gets more perfects than Eli with only slight differences.

"Harasho!" Eli said.

"Yeah!" Maki cheered.

Umi claps her hands. Eli and Maki hit their fists with each other, showing the sportive spirits of theirs. The crowds clap their hands and cheering excitedly.

"I'll get you next time…" Eli said.

"Bring it on…" Maki said.

"Now, should we go? I kind of feeling insecure already…" Umi said softly.

Maki and Eli turn at each other,

"Sure…" Maki and Eli replied.

But as they're about to leave, a few girls approaching them…

"E-Excuse me!" one of them said.

Eli, Maki, and Umi turn at them,

"I….I want to…confess to Eli-senpai!" the girls said.

Eli sighed weakly,

"Is that ok?" the girl asked shyly.

Eli didn't make a respond, she just took her bag and left without words.

"Oi…Eli…" Maki called, Eli stopped.

"At least say no if you don't want it…" Maki said.

Eli didn't make respond again and continue walking.

Maki and Umi sighed,

"There she go again…" Umi said.

"Guess it just can't be helped…" Maki said.

Umi turned to the girls,

"Sorry, but she is just not very good at stuff like this…" Umi said.

"Yeah, don't worry about her, and… don't blame yourself for this… you're fine…" Maki said.

"Mm… thanks…. Maki-senpai… Umi-senpai…" the girl said.

"Now we should go… good luck on another, ok?" Umi said politely with a sweet smile.

"Yup! Maybe I should just confess to you two?" she said playfully.

"Ah-ahah…" Umi laughed awkwardly.

"No…" Umi said before she ran away with her bag.

"O-oi! Wait!" Maki yelled.

"T-that's quick…" the girl said.

"Y-yeah…she is just like that…" Maki said.

"Then…what about you?" the girl asked.

"W-what? Me? N-No! No-way! No way… just no! I'm leaving! Bye!" Maki said before she took her bag and run away too.

* * *

On Earth again,

Kotori sitting on a stool at one of the room in Hanayo's Inn,

"You're lucky that I can heal you without losing any teeth… but that's dangerous…Kotori-chan!" Hanayo said. She is in a gentle brown shirt and trouser with cutely designed long vest.

"Yeah… the Macaroon is really breaking her…" Nozomi said.

"But…Macaroon… I'm spending so much time to make it…" Kotori cried.

"There-there, Kotori-chan… you can always use it for something else…" Hanayo said.

"Like what?" Kotori asked.

"Hmm….armor? It's indestructible, right?" Nozomi said.

"But… I already bake them all…" Kotori said.

"Uhmn…. Then we can just stick it?" Nozomi asked.

"With super glue? That will look silly, don't you think?" Hanayo said.

"You're right…" Nozomi said.

"Then maybe we can use it for ammo?" Kotori asked.

Everyone remained quiet.

"Ahh! You're right! I think I have something in my garage… I'll go get it!" Nozomi said before she ran out.

* * *

Back in space,

Eli sat on a bench near the dock. A lot of soldiers passing by here and there— fortunately they don't actually take interest to talk to Eli.

Eli sighed weakly as she turns her sight to her right hand,

_Love…they said…_

She said in her mind.

_They're just making it as an excuse to step on my face…_

She said again.

Suddenly, someone offered a bottle of orange juice, Eli turned up. It's Maki and Umi who stands behind her.

"Here… on me…" Maki said.

"Thanks…" Eli said as she accepts it.

"Sorry for last time… I didn't know it was something like that…" Maki said.

"Did Umi tell you everything?" Eli asked.

"Yeah… although I would say they can't be all like that, I believe it's still hurt for you…" Maki said.

Eli sighed,

"I hope you're keeping it a secret….just for three of us, ok?" Eli said.

"No problem…" Umi and Maki replied.

They sat on the same bench together and looking up into the starry dark sky.

"Being popular is difficult… don't you think?" Eli said.

"No kidding…" Maki replied.

"Firstly that because we don't know why we're popular, then second is because we just don't know which of them that actually like us from what we truly are, and third, we just have no idea what we should do with it…" Umi said.

"I wish I could live somewhere else… maybe at the place that they call as the earth? It sounds like a beautiful place…" Eli said.

"You mean the one that they project on the window of our dorm?" Maki asked.

"Yes… but I heard those are the earth for 100 years ago… it might not be existed again by now…" Eli said.

"They also said that even if it still existed, it must be already filled by strange creatures or ghouls… because magic took over the planet and our mother spaceship was built to escape from it…" Umi said.

"Sounds like a dangerous place…" Maki said.

"That it is…" Eli said.

"Let's take an adventure there…" Maki said.

"Eh?" Eli and Umi flustered.

"We're bored, right? We have plenty of holidays so let's get on our ship and dash on?" Maki said.

"Uhm… hold on…" Umi took out her tablet,

Eli and Maki waited her.

"Ah, good news, we're very close to it right now… we can go there in just for about thirty minutes… if you haven't upgraded our ship, Eli…" Umi said.

"Well, another good news, I already upgraded them so we should be able to arrive there in less time..?" Eli said.

"Great! Let's get on!" Maki said excitedly.

* * *

Meanwhile on earth,

Nozomi already taking out a slim cannon with mythical amethyst on it, Kotori already prepared with a bag of Macaroon while Hanayo is just there to watch over them.

"This is my spiritual cannon!" Nozomi said.

"Spiritual…cannon?" Kotori wondered.

"Yup, this cannon is actually a project that I want to introduce to the military— but I canceled it because it might be too dangerous if they use this…" Nozomi said.

"Too dangerous?" Hanayo began to worry.

"Yup, this is a cannon doesn't need an ammo since it basically work like a wind shooter… I made it so that they who can't use wind magic can have a wind element attack… but then I realize, if a ton of soldiers using this— it could create more destruction than the natural tornado…" Nozomi said.

"Ah…I see… can I try?" Kotori said.

"Yeah, that's where you need your Macaroon to see how powerful it is…" Nozomi said.

"Ohhh! I see!" Kotori quickly pick up a Macaroon and place it inside the cannon.

"Shoot it to the sky and see how long it takes for it to return here…" Nozomi said.

"Ok!" Kotori said cheerfully.

* * *

Meanwhile in space,

Eli is already on her personal ship, a white armored spaceship with bulky and powerful looking design with a pair of strong arms stowed right under its wings and completed with defense system. The shell of her personal ship shines and reflects the surrounding like glasses, there's a silver pattern that shaped like a flower on its wall. Her cockpit is colored in black and silver with icy blue lights.

She is also wearing a full Vanguard armor, weapon sheathed on her waist, folded very neatly with its complex mechanic, a pair of arm shield equipped and vanguard helm covering her head.

Umi is on her own personal ship as well, a black armored space ship, slim and sharp design with a lot of guns and beams equipped, there's a dark blue stripes on a few part, her shell is rather pale and somewhat giving a stealthy and fast feeling. Her cockpit is colored in dark blue and gray with deep blue lights.

She is wearing a full armor Marksman armor, weapon sheathed in the same fashion as Eli, an arrow case equipped on her back and some bolts stock on her legs. A cool looking helm completed with its binocular.

Maki's personal ship is rather brave looking with bright red armor, slim and deadly looking design with a pair of arm that completed with blades on each hand. Her shell is thin, yet it's actually completed with a stealth kill system. Her cockpit is colored in red and black with yellow lines and soft flame colored lights.

She is wearing a black Assassin robe and a fierce looking helm that protects her whole head and collar, a pair of shoulder guard and armguard that equipped on her arms, hiding her Gun-claws that attached on her gloves.

"Everyone ready?" said the Dock Keeper,

"Ayase Eli, on Garden of Glass, ready!" Eli said.

"Sonoda Umi, on Anemone Heart, ready!" Umi said.

"Nishikino Maki, on Beat in Angel, ready!" Maki said.

"Launching you all in Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Let the Soldier Game start!"

And the trio zoomed to the space in lightning speed.

* * *

Back to the earth,

Kotori, Nozomi, and Hanayo still looking at the sky. Then a Macaroon fell down— all of their eyes are focused on it in instant. The Macaroon is still shaped perfectly.

"Wah-wah… it's really indestructible…" Hanayo said.

"Hehe, yup! It's awesome isn't it?" Kotori said.

"It is, indeed, I thought the fall will destroy it…" Nozomi said.

"Cute things that it doesn't break the ground…" Hanayo said.

"Ah, yep… it doesn't!" Nozomi said.

"I wonder if it just because it's not strong enough?" Kotori said.

"Hmm….? Then you want to try that cannon in full power?" Nozomi asked.

"Yeah, would be nice!" Kotori said.

"Alright, let me tune it and you can try them…" Nozomi said as she picks the cannon and tune it.

Kotori looks very excited.

"Ok, done…" Nozomi said as she gives the cannon to Kotori again.

"Sometime I worried if you accidentally shot something down… like… a dragon?" Hanayo said.

"Hmmm…would be nice too! Maybe I can shot a personal guardian down?" Kotori said.

"You still want a personal guardian… why not take it from the city?" Nozomi said.

"Hehe… they always quit— say that they just can't live around me…" Kotori said.

"Oh…"

"Hmm…. I want a very-very loyal personal guardian for myself! A gentle and strong one too! With beautiful voice… and… uh…. good looking!" Kotori said.

Hanayo and Nozomi giggled.

"Then, shot me down an angel, ok? Or two…" Hanayo said.

"Just shot me down a miracle and I'm good…" Nozomi said.

"Hehe, yup! Get ready…." Kotori aimed the cannon to the sky…

* * *

Meanwhile in the sky,

Eli, Maki, and Umi already arrived on earth,

"Harasho, it's really beautiful!" Eli said as she look at the beautiful scenery of sea and forests.

"You're right… it is very beautiful…" Umi said as she smiled faintly.

"Look! Dragons under us!" Maki said as turn her sight down, Eli and Umi also looking down. There actually some dragons flying peacefully on the sky.

"Harasho, those looks very cool… somewhat a lot neater than the aliens on some other planets…" Eli said.

The trio enjoying their flight calmly.

"Let's take a few tours and go home, ok?" Umi said.

"True, we can't stay here…" Eli said.

"Yeah, the longer we are here, the more stuff piled on our locker…" Maki said.

They giggled,

"So true…" Umi said.

Then as she slowly wanders around the sky with the others, something hits her spaceship on the lower part.

"Eh?" Umi surprised.

"What's wrong?" Maki asked.

"Something just hitting me…" Umi said.

"Are you ok?" Eli asked.

"Hmm…" Umi tried to check on her system.

"Something is stuck on my lower fan system…" Umi said.

"Ah, that's bad, we need to take it out or you can get an overheat on your system …" Eli said.

"I'll help you out…." Maki said as she flew under Umi.

Then suddenly something is shot to her.

"Ehh?!" Maki surprised.

"What?" Eli asked.

"Something is hitting me too…" Maki said.

"Wow… are you two alright?" Eli said.

"Ughh… something is jamming my exhaust…" Maki said.

"That's dangerous… here let me help…." Eli said as she flew to approach them. she began to check on her friend's ship.

"Agh… I need to go out…." Eli said before she open her cockpit.

"Wait! Eli! Oxygen!" Maki said.

"Don't worry, Earth is full of them…" Eli said.

"Oh… really?" Maki said.

"Yeah, but it's pretty cold out here… I'm glad I'm still in my suit." Eli said as she began to move to Maki's plane.

"Turn off your machine, Maki, I need to look on your exhaust, but hold on my —…"

Before Eli could finish her words, something shots to her butt—

"Eli!" Maki and Umi shouted as Eli fall, luckily, Eli managed to grab Maki's ship arm which she quickly move to help Eli.

"Wh-what the hell is that?" Eli said.

"No idea… but it looks very fast…." Maki said.

"Either way, let's fix up and go home, ok?" Umi said.

"Right… got it…" Eli said.

Then as Eli jumps up and began to try fixing from Maki's Exhaust…something very-very fast passing them by, they swear they see it but they're not sure what that is.

* * *

Meanwhile at the sky above them,

A wooden flying ships flying calmly, a black flag with skull and pink ribbon picture waving on them,

"Nyaa! Nyaa! Nyaa! We're the space pirates!" a girl with short orange hair sing playfully. She is wearing a navigator uniform.

"Sheesh, Rin-chan… it's supposed to be Harr-harrr-harrr… why is it suddenly nya-nya-nya.." a black haired girl said— she is wearing captain uniform.

"Hehe, It's cuter that way, Niko-chan!" Rin said.

"We're not being cute, we are pirates!" Niko yelled.

"Raid the earth! Fight! Fight! Fight!" a ginger haired girl said cheerfully.

"Yeah-nya! That's right, Honoka-chan!" Rin said.

"hehe! Then we sell the goods to the mother ship! Then be rich!" Honoka said.

"Nyaaaa!" Rin said.

"Geez… you two… if you're being that playful, no one going to be scared of us, ok?" Niko said.

"We never lose to anyone so far though…" Honoka said.

"That's because we keep running! Hnn….. we really should upgrade our ship…" Niko said.

"Why-nya? We're pretty good nya, the wood is strong…" Rin said.

"Huh? Haven't you see the student's spaceship from the mother ship? Those are freaking awesome… I don't think they'll be destroyed by a common cannon that we own…" Niko said.

"Yeah, but, in the end, we always prefer stealing than face to face fights-nya…" Rin said.

"Ah...you're naïve! If we got something like that, we can do raiding and face to face fights!" Niko yelled.

"Ehehe... but, didn't you said, you'll not abandon ship even if it's going to be destroyed? You're the captain, where's your honor-nya?" Rin said.

"W-what are you saying! Honoka is the captain!" Niko said.

"Eh? But you said you want to be the captain…" Honoka said.

"Fine… Then I'll be the captain until this ship destroyed, then you can have the res—…"

Before Niko finished her words, something very strong and fast hits their ship, creating a very small hole and tearing their flag.

"W-whoa?!" they got surprised.

"O-oh no! The Flag-nya!" Rin said.

"W-whoa!"

And they could feel their ship is slowly falling—

"Waaaaaa!" they shouts as their ship eventually falling become faster…

And faster….

And Eli, Umi, Maki's ship is right under them.

The Trio turned up to the sky as they see big shades…and before they could do anything…..

* * *

**FEAR THE DEADLY MACAROON!**

**so what'ca think?**


	2. The Cold Blooded

**Second test chapter, **

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

It was dark and damp,

Eli, Umi, and Maki sat on the stone floor, their armor stripped and they're all left with their suit, belts, and shoes. Their wrist tied tightly against each other and their ankles shackled with the stone floor. Umi and Maki are conscious a while ago before Eli opens her eyes,

"Eli…." Maki called her.

"Eli…" Umi called her too.

Eli turned her sight,

Umi and Maki looking at her intensely,

"Are you alright?" Umi asked.

Eli remained quiet for a moment to think about it. She tried her best to remember what happen— though the only thing she could remember is that something very big hitting her and taking them all down in short time. She couldn't remember the rest.

"Where are we?" Eli asked— her head is somewhat still a little spinning.

"Dungeon… there are three pirates captured along with us, then we're found by….three women… they're pretty furious with the pirates and…. I think they mistake us as part of them…" Umi said.

"Pirates….?" Eli wondered.

"Yeah, looks like they've been a trouble around here…" Maki sighed.

"…and what about our armors?" Eli asked.

"They strip them all off along with our weapon and vehicles…. I don't know where they keep it but… I just don't want to mess with them…" Maki said.

"They looks somewhat strong— and to know they're the locals of this planet… they might be able to beat us up at ease…" Umi said.

"It's pretty heavy here too… like when we're on a gym…" Maki said.

"That's because we've been living in artificial gravity force, it's a lot lighter in mother spaceship, and the only place with same force as this planet is our gym…" Umi said.

"So that means, those girls might be a lot stronger than us as well…" Maki said.

"Yes, and we probably be greatly slowed down too in this planet…." Umi said.

Eli sighed weakly.

"Then I suppose you're all already made the best decision to surrender… now we just need to escape this place quietly and look for our ships…" Eli said.

"Yes, I know you'll say that…. and I think you're the only one who can break these irons…" Umi said as she offered her wrist.

"Yeah, sorry I'm not strong enough for it…." Maki said.

Eli remained quiet for a moment, then she look to her wrist. She began to attempt to break it—and she managed to do it after a few seconds.

"Harasho…" Eli said.

"Great…" Umi and Maki said.

Eli began to break the shackles on her ankle then continued with releasing her companions.

"Now, where's the exit?" Eli asked as she tried to look around.

"There's a hidden door somewhere before, I think they pressed a panel on wall or something… hang on…" Umi said before she tried to look around the wall. Eli and Maki waited.

"There it is.." Umi said as she pressed a panel and a door opened.

"Harasho, next step…" Eli said

"Let's go through it…" Maki said.

And the three began to explore.

* * *

Meanwhile,

Niko , Rin, and Honoka, tied on a chair with ropes inside an empty room, floor and walls made of strong concrete. Nozomi, Kotori and Hanayo standing right in front of them…

"So…. What are you all going to do to make up for your troubles…?" Nozomi asked coldly and clearly.

Hanayo and Kotori frowned at them.

"Uhn…hmm… be your crew member-nya?" Rin asked.

"W-what the hell you're saying! That's like asking to be worked out!" Niko yelled.

"Eh? No-nya? But I think it will be fun…" Rin said.

"Ahh! What about… uh… you all help us get our ship rebuilt and we will go and never bother you again?" Honoka asked.

"T-that's right! Wh-what about that?!" Niko asked.

"Y-You already did that a while back and you're still stealing from us…" Hanayo said.

"That was a mistake! I swear! It was Honoka who screws up with the mapping! We didn't know that farm is yours…" Niko said.

"Ahh..but the loots are so many and it's so tempting!" Honoka said.

"Then we should just throw these pirates to dungeon like them…" Nozomi said.

"W-whoa-whoa! Wait! Ok! Ok! Let's just do the other one… we will work for you…." Niko said.

Nozomi, Kotori, and Hanayo squints their eyes.

"I swear! We'll work hard to make up everything! I mean… look, I'm a very good cook… then Rin is a master of navigating… Honoka is a good…uh…supporter…and…. Worker! Yes! Let's not waste our skills…." Niko said.

"Hmm…what do you think… Hanayo-chan? Kotori-chan?" Nozomi asked.

"I think a cook would be nice, I think I need more workers on that division… then navigating, I'm not sure, but perhaps if she is an expert in geographic map, then I might can use her to help deliveries…" Hanayo said.

"I'd like to get the supporter one…" Kotori said.

"Then you go on take them— not like they're any danger anyway…" Nozomi said.

"Don't underestimate us!" Niko said.

"Yeah! Niko-chan is the best on escaping-nya!" Rin said.

"Then I guess you will need to be shackled…" Nozomi said.

"W-whoa! No! No! I won't escape, I swear!" Niko said.

Kotori and Hanayo giggled.

"Then, you two can go take them, I'll go on first. I need to do a few things at home then going to take some nice bath…." Nozomi said.

"Ok!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"But…wait… what about those three?" Hanayo asked.

"Leave them rot in the dungeon…" Nozomi said coldly before she left the room.

Niko, Rin, and Honoka cringed as they heard it.

* * *

Back into the dungeon,

Umi, Eli and Maki just returned from their own direction, they sighed weakly as they met each other,

"…let me guess… dead end?" Eli asked.

"Yes…. Another dead end…" Umi said,

"And those are the last path… I wonder how they put us here if there is no exit?" Maki said.

Eli remained quiet as she keeps looking at a strange looking panel on the wall while Umi glued her eyes to three set of ascended floors.

"What are you two looking at?" Maki asked.

Eli and Umi still quiet and the two walks to what attracts them. Maki remained in her place, wondering what they're actually doing.

Eli tried to press on the panel while Umi stood on top of the ascended floor. Suddenly, all the ascended floor rising up very slowly and as Eli released the panel, the floor returned to its first place.

"Ah…so that's the system— it looks kind of similar with one of our lift…" Maki said.

"Except this one need an operator…." Umi said.

"But we don't have one and we can't leave any of us here…" Eli said.

"I wonder if you can find anything up there though, like…maybe the exit?" Maki asked.

"Let's see…." Umi tried to look up— there are three holes and each of them is right above the ascended floor.

"I see three holes….and…ladder on each of them…I think we can hang into them… if you know what I'm planning…" Umi said.

"Clever, I'll take the last operator job, I can use my shoes to get up there before the floor descended completely…" Maki said.

"Then I'll go there first…" Eli said before she went to one of the ascended floor that's a little further to the left, Umi is on the right and they left the middle one for Maki.

Maki began to press the panel, it really lifted very slowly.

Umi and Eli staring at each other awkwardly as they're lifted,

"I think this going to take a while…" Umi said.

"No kidding…" Eli sighed.

"Stupid machine… who built this damned thing?" Maki complained.

"Like we know…" Eli and Umi replied.

They keep waiting for a while until they finally reached the top. Eli and Umi grab the ladder strongly,

"We're good, your turn…." Umi said.

"Alright…" Maki released the panel—the floor began to descend and Maki quickly press a button on her shoes before she dashed very quickly and running vertically through the wall of the escalated floor, then jumps to the ladder swiftly and accurately.

"Harasho…" Eli appreciated.

"Now, next step, let's climb these ladders and see what they have up there…" Maki said.

"Yup, let's go…" Umi said.

* * *

Meanwhile at Kotori's workshop,

"Now-now, Honoka-chan…" Kotori said,

"Yes?" Honoka looks somewhat excited,

"Hmmm…. I wonder if you can help me on these…." Kotori offered a box of macaroon.

"Macaroon! Ah, are these for me…?" Honoka asked.

"Hmm…yeah actually, I just wonder if there's a way to use these…" Kotori said.

"Eh? We can always just eat it…" Honoka said.

"True…but… I tried it before and—…."

"Let's eat…." Honoka said before Kotori finished.

"Aaahh! Honoka-chan!"

And Honoka ate it. Kotori cringed,

"It's delicious…" Honoka said as she ate the macaroon—safely…

"Eh…?" Kotori flustered.

"So what was it that you wanted to say before?" Honoka asked.

"Uhm…nothing…" Kotori said.

"Are you sure I can eat these?" Honoka asked.

"Y…yeah…" Kotori said.

Still watching Honoka in awe…

"Thanks! This is a great macaroon!" Honoka said.

"Y-Yeah…." Kotori still flustered.

"Is there anything else I can help?" Honoka asked.

"Uhm…. clean the bathroom? I….I think I want to take a shower for a bit later…." Kotori said.

"Ok! Will do!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

Kotori walked away and sit on a chair, placing her hand on her forehead,

"What…what is she….? Did my macaroon just losing its power or something?" Kotori whispered to herself.

Honoka quickly heads to bathroom along with the box of macaroon.

"Ahh..Kotori-chan… you have human in your bathroom…" Honoka said.

"Just take it out if it's unnecessary Honoka-chan…" Kotori said.

"Ok!" Honoka said.

"Wait…human?" Kotori getting more flustered, she quickly ran to the bathroom.

"Come on, I'll take you out…I need to clean up the bathroom…" Honoka said to a woman with dark blue hair.

"Uhh…okay?" the woman replied, then their eyes met each other, and the room becomes very awkward.

"Hi….. I'm….Sonoda Umi…. Uh…Nice to meet you…" Umi said politely and awkwardly.

"Ah...I'm Kousaka Honoka! Nice to meet you too!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"I'm….Kotori Minami….nice to meet you too…." Kotori said awkwardly in awe.

And they all went quiet for a moment…

"Uhn…do you want to have some snack…?" Kotori asked.

"Oh yeah, this… " Honoka handed Umi one of the macaroon…

"Uhn…what's this?" Umi asked.

"It's a macaroon, haven't seen it before?" Honoka asked.

"I did but never knew it's the famous French macaroon…." Umi said.

"It's delicious…" Honoka said as she ate it—at ease… Kotori still watching them in awe…

"Ah…" Umi tried to eat it—and she did fine too…

Kotori grabs her head in confusion.

"Yeah, it's delicious…" Umi said.

"See? told you… this is really good…" Honoka said.

"I agree…." Umi said.

"Uhm… I'm…I'm going to take a nap…. Please tell me when you're finished with the bathroom cleaning, Honoka-chan…" Kotori said.

"Ok!" Honoka replied.

"Need help?" Umi asked.

"Sure…" Honoka replied.

Kotori walked away from them,

"Wh-what the hell are they?" Kotori whispered before she just head to her own sofa.

* * *

Meanwhile,

A big wheat farm, Maki just came out from a small door on the ground. She quickly jumps out, closed the door and quickly hides to watch her surrounding area.

She could see a few man working on the farm, they looks somewhat very unaware of her existence. Maki tried to look around and she saw a few ragged vest and old trouser— she quickly picks it up and wears it on top of her suit. Hoping that it could let her looks like one of the worker.

Then she tried to walk through the wheat crops and…

"Halt!" one of the man said.

Maki stopped and raised both of her hands. She is unarmed,

"Who are you? I have never seen you here!" he said.

Maki tried to look at the man— he is shivering like scared, yet his face frown at her aggressively. He doesn't look like he know how to fight.

"W-well…I'm new here…" Maki said.

The man frowned deeper,

"What if I call Koizumi-sama and she said you're not? We won't tolerate thievery, ok?" the man said aggressively.

Maki remained quiet.

Another worker noticed her and the man and they looks like they're calling someone.

"Shit…" Maki whispered. The man still looks very unfriendly toward her.

After a moment, Hanayo ran into them. She noticed Maki and Maki knew her too.

"Koizumi-sama! Is this your new worker…?" the man asked.

"Ah…well…" Hanayo smiled gently,

"She is my guest…" Hanayo said.

Maki is very surprised to hear the respond,

"But I forgot to mention her… my bad…" Hanayo said.

"Ah…I see…" the worker calmed down.

"Please follow me… Nishikino-san…" Hanayo said with a sweet smile.

* * *

Koisumi's office, afternoon;

Hanayo brought Maki in and served her a cup of warm green tea… Maki is a little flustered, though she keep herself calm—because for some reason, the woman in front of her doesn't looks harmful, not even a bit.

"I'm sorry for the rude welcome before, but Nozomi-chan is just really protective toward us— especially when you came down with pirates…" Hanayo said.

"Ah, I knew it would be just a misunderstanding— we're not pirates…" Maki said.

"We knew that, but, you're from Terra, right?" Hanayo asked.

"Eh….?"

"Terra, the mother ship…" Hanayo said.

"Y…yeah…we are…is there anything wrong with it." Maki replied a little nervously.

"Hmm…not quite wrong… but… this village has a history, you know…or actually… no… this planet has a history…." Hanayo said.

Maki still looks a little flustered.

Hanayo giggled,

"I knew you'll give that expression…" Hanayo said.

"But…have they ever record the day about when Terra launched from the earth? About how they doing it…?" Hanayo asked.

"From what I knew, it's sort of a rescue mission, the magic born on earth and that time wasn't a good time to live on earth— there's a lot of necromancers and wizards taking over the earth, ghouls and monsters appearing like crazy, dragons began to realm the sky…and stuff like that…." Maki said.

Hanayo smiled wryly,

"Ah, I suppose that's what they would say… but… to tell you the truth, the history wasn't that simple… Terra wasn't a rescue, it's an escape…" Hanayo said.

"What do you mean?" Maki asked.

"Back then, there was an argument between the two ruling leader of two sides, one supports magic, and the other supports Cyber Technology. First it was about who should be respected, Cyber Technologies were born longer than magic, and people should respect that. Though according to the magician sides, magic already existed long ago, close to when the earth are born, but they're just growing in secret, so if it's talking about who should be respected… it should be magic…"

"Then another argument came up… Cyber Technologies will be able to keep up humanity fed and safe, while magic will destroy them. Then Magic side said, Magic isn't simply about how you burn nature life with fire then building a building that's not even able to produce oxygen, cyber technologies are alright but they're just not supposed to be something to rely on…"

"From that argument, the cyber technologies side say, then that admitting that technologies are needed— it's a lot more important than magic. But then the magic side says, no, it's not just simply about that, magic are born as a gift and we should use it to take care of this nature…"

"Then cyber technology side says, no, it's already too late. Nature will never recover, we've been abusing it too much, it's time to be independent, it's time to be freed from them and make our own way in our life. The real gift of the God is our wit, not our power… we should take what we can and duplicate it."

"Then the magic sides say, then why don't you do that and get out from the mother earth? Make you own place to live— this earth belongs to nature, you can't simply replace what existed here with what you made…"

"…and from that argument, the two sides began to have a cold war. Then for some reason, a few of magician began to fall into necromancy and darkness magic, causing a chaos on earth, the technology sides said to them; see? This is what magic brings to earth… you're not taking care of nature, you're killing it…"

"Then the magic side said, it's a mistake, it's not magic's fault… its human's fault…"

"and then the cyber technology said, one day, you'll thank me for this, but we're not staying in this kind of place, we will take what we can and leave the earth to save humanity…"

Hanayo finished her story.

Maki looks very amazed with it.

"Ah.. was it boring? I'm not good at telling story…." Hanayo said.

"No-no…it's good…. But that really clears up something and looks less biased than what our people says about earth…" Maki said.

"Really?" Hanayo said.

"Yeah… and your voice is comforting too…" Maki said.

"Ah….?" Hanayo blushed.

"I…I mean…No… No that's not what I mean! Sheesh!" Maki protested,

"I mean… it's…it's just sounds ok… I have two seniors and their story is always either somewhat sounds heroic or somewhat sounds like a horror…sometimes just sounds like a joke… it's…rare for me to hear someone else telling story..." Maki blushed and turned away,

"I…I see… I'm glad you enjoyed it then…" Hanayo said.

"Then what about this village and what's wrong with the…uh…the woman with violet hair…"

"Ah, that… well... this village wasn't this small back then… there's a lot of people living here… until that day when a group of space pirate invade this village— they're taking our food stocks and slaughtering our peoples... Nozomi-chan lost her whole family in that incident… and she was a lot younger too… so…yeah, she is always feeling insecure… " Hanayo said.

"We're not space pirate though, we're not one of them and why are we locked in dungeons while they're not?"

"You dress like them… and the pirates that often steal from us aren't… they looks amateur, you all look professional… the pirates use a magic technology, you all using cyber technology… " Hanayo said.

"I see… but we're not planning to invade or anything, we were just taking a vacation… we're students, not a real soldier yet… we haven't even graduate from school…" Maki said.

"Uhm..sorry, but how old are you?" Hanayo asked.

"19… my seniors are 20 and 21…" Maki replied.

"Oh? You haven't graduate from school in that age?"

"Eh? Is that a weird age? I thought it's normal, we usually graduate at 22…" Maki said.

"Oh…then it just different education system... we usually spend only 18 years at school… and by the way, you're the same age as me…" Hanayo smiled.

"R-really…?" Maki blushed. Hanayo noticed her reddening cheek.

"Ah! I..I didn't mean that way, I'm just saying….that we're the same age…maybe…we can get a long…" Hanayo said in panic.

"Get along…?" Maki's blush getting redder.

"N-No-no-no! Not that way!"

"Y-yeah…I …I get it… let's just be friend…" Maki replied nervously.

"Y..yeah…friends…. but…anyway…I ….I think you should hide from Nozomi-chan…." Hanayo said.

"Why?" Maki asked,

"That….uh…well…." Hanayo is a little flustered.

"She is cold blooded when it's about killing people who depends on cyber technology…" Hanayo cringed slightly.

"Ah… that sounds like my senior, except she is always cold blooded when killing—and since I'm the Assassin in team, people often mistake me to be the one who kills.…" Maki sighed.

"T-Tell me more…" Hanayo looks somewhat interested.

"Well…."

* * *

Somewhere underground,

Eli still wandering around the underground, she is somewhat very interested in exploring it. There's a lot of pipes around the area and a few old machine— it looks like a maintenance room for water distribution. Eli started to look around and examining the system,

_Hmm…these machines are still using basic system, lack of details too…_

Eli said in her mind as she opens the dirty machine.

_Why are these machines so dirty? Who is responsible for these machines…?_

She said as she began to try cleaning the machine from dust. Then she turned down and noticed a gear is moving very slowly.

_Ah… these gears… how nostalgic, it's an old version…I wonder if there's some oils to make this little boy running faster…_

Eli tried to look around— she couldn't find anything.

_Hmm….just needs it a little of it… I'll use this…_

Eli took off her suit's right sleeve, showing a full mechanic right arm under a sheet of black rubber that she peeled, she opened a lid on her mechanic forearm— there's a screwdriver inside which she use to open a few part of her forearms, showing a lot of pipes, some of it colored in red, some of it colored in yellow. She took the yellow one, unplugging it from its contact and squeeze out a little oil to the gear. Then she returned everything to its first state.

She watched the machine moving— and it eventually going faster.

_Harasho… now this little boy won't be working too hard…_

Eli thought as she smiled faintly. She fixed her suit and started to look around again.

_I wonder if there's anything else that need maintenance…?_

Eli said on her mind before she starts exploring again.

The bathroom,

Nozomi just came in. She lock the door, took off her glove, then her clothes, stripping down to nothing and placed her laundry in the basket. There's a shower on the corner of the room. Nozomi steps in and turn it on.

She noticed something different with her shower— it feels like the power is increasing slightly. A few moment of thinking, Nozomi decided to ignore it for now.

As she took her bath, her water heater suddenly turned on, she quickly turns herself at it, wondering how it could be turned on all so sudden. She swears the water heater wasn't able to operate for many years.

Though she just sighed weakly, turns on a music from the radio on the wall and continues her bath.

* * *

The underground,

Eli still wandering around the place,

_Hmm...steams powered machines, but these are very unusual… it's like they distributed a duplicated power instead of it's true potential…. How does it even work?_

Eli wondered as she keeps on examining the machines.

_The most interesting part is, they also distributed it to a machine that keeping the power supplier supplied with this energy…. Creating an infinite loop… if our mother ship can have something like this… we would totally be able to explore more galaxies and stop worrying about fuels…_

Eli thought as she keeps following a pipe.

_Where is this thing that duplicates power? I need to see how it works…and how it even do the trick…_

Eli keeps on going to follow the pipe until she found a ladder and a small door on top. She decided to climb it and when she reached the top, she could hear a faint music,

_Music…. There must be someone there…_

Eli said before she decided to peek from the small door very carefully. She could see, feet… a fair skinned feet— and it looks as gentle as female feet. Then water pouring down from it.

_Ah…someone is taking a bath… I'll wait…_

Eli said as she decided to climb down again and wait.

* * *

Meanwhile in Kotori's workshop,

Kotori still staring at the two in awe, Honoka and Umi working very nicely and they're actually very helpful around the area.

Umi is skilled in technology as well and she is fixing machines that applied in Kotori's workshop while Honoka, she really knows her way to keep things clean and neat.

"That's it for today… that should pay for the nice snack…" Umi said.

"Eh…? You're doing it for snacks?" Kotori asked.

"Hmm… and also for not minding me to be here, I suppose… I need to go out and find my ship soon, also my companions…" Umi said.

"Ah…your companions…. Hmm... that remind me, I think you should hide from Nozomi-chan… she will absolutely kill you if she found out…" Kotori said.

"Eh….?" Umi flustered.

"You came from Terra, right? Terra the mother ship…" Kotori said.

"Uh…yes…" Umi replied.

"What's a….Terra the mother ship? Does that ship giving birth to baby ships?" Honoka asked.

Kotori giggled,

"No, that's not it, Honoka-chan!" Kotori said.

"It's an artificial mother earth… a ship that was built to rescue humanity…" Umi said.

"I wouldn't say it's a rescue… hmmm… well, honestly, you should read from our books about it— I think Kayo-chan have one in her Inn's Library…" Kotori said.

"Ah… really? I'll pay a visit there…" Umi said.

"No-no, I said you should hide from Nozomi-chan! It's very risky to go out around these hours… maybe you should be out after midnight because, Nozomi-chan usually already falls asleep by then…" Kotori said.

"Then, I should warn my companions…" Umi said.

"No-no, you stay here…uh…uhm…" Kotori flustered,

"…uh…who's your name again?" Kotori asked.

"Sonoda Umi…" Umi said.

"Ok, so it's Sonoda-san!" Kotori said.

"Why do we have to hide from Nozomi and who's this person?" Umi asked.

"Nozomi-chan is the violet haired woman…." Kotori said.

"Oh…yes… that woman… she looks somewhat dangerous…" Umi said.

"That she is… she is very powerful because she used to be always alone when she is a little… and as side story, she really hates people— almost all of them… but, if you can be on her side, she is actually a very caring one…Kotori and Kayo-chan have been her friends for a while now…she is still a little cold towards us sometime, but… we can't blame her…" Kotori explained.

"Hate peoples? Somehow I feel familiar with that kind of story…" Umi said.

"Her students really fear her, but they respect her because she is a good teacher…" Kotori said.

"A teacher….? That's interesting. I thought she'll be a lot younger…" Umi said.

"She is 21… she is a very skilled person and probably be the youngest person who were able to run a magic school…"

"That's…. cool… she is just the same age as my senior…" Umi said.

"Your senior? The one with blonde hair?" Kotori asked.

"Yes, that's my senior…" Umi said.

"She is a little scary… I'm glad she was unconscious when we found you all…" Kotori said.

"Well, she would probably brush off every single person that trying to get closer to her— it's kind of hard to be acknowledged by her too, but, once you're her good friend, she will show her hilarious side…" Umi replied.

"Ah… I see…"

"We're living in one room, three of us… Maki, the red haired, just joined us two years ago, she was difficult person too at first, often getting upset and all, but after we spend our time as teammates, we eventually getting close with each other…" Umi explained.

"That sounds like Niko-chan… she also often get upset, even until now…" Honoka said.

"Ah, right, you haven't told us about yourself…" Umi said.

"They're pirates who often steal from us…" Kotori said.

"Yup, we're pirates who often steal from them…" Honoka said.

Umi remained quiet for a moment….

"So…. Why does it feel like you two are only playing games?" Umi asked.

"Eh? But she really is space pirates who often steal from us…" Kotori said.

"Yup… we are…" Honoka said.

Umi still confused,

"Alright, let's just skip the logic of that one… so how about pirates day?" Umi asked.

"We steal, then we run, then we sell… and we get money…." Honoka said.

"That sounds like a thief than a pirate…" Umi said.

"But we're pirates…" Honoka said.

"Yup, they're pirates and they're mean…" Kotori said.

Umi remained quiet for a moment…

"I….I see…." Umi said, her mind still couldn't get a hold of the conversation.

"What's wrong with it?" Honoka said.

"You ok, Sonoda-san?" Kotori asked.

"I think I just have my mind blown up a bit…" Umi said.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Inn,

Niko has started to work, Rin also started to make discussion with a few other workers. They both are actually capable of doing what they said they're capable of. Hanayo and Maki walking through them, Maki noticed the two.

"They're the pirates, right?" Maki asked.

"Yup, they're…" Hanayo said.

"They're working here now?" Maki asked.

"To pay their debt… they were stealing from us twice…" Hanayo said.

"I see…" Maki said.

"I'm planning to release them once they're worked enough to cover the loss…" Hanayo said.

"That's kind of you…" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled,

"I'm not really into working peoples who doesn't want to work with me… they're always free to choose where they want to put their passion at…" Hanayo said.

"Where to put passion…huh?" Maki smiled faintly.

"I made the Inn so that people wanted to stay in this small village, but I suppose people are just using this village as a vacation site because it's close to this one ancient ruins which told to be a place where the undead raises…"

"So they're actually used to realm the earth?" Maki asked.

"Hmm….sort of… some mages said those are to stop a pressure that caused by the Cyber Technology pros, they've been reported to be abusing the natural sources…" Hanayo said.

"But it could be just a biased history, right…?" Maki said.

"True… I might never know what actually happen… it's politics, people abuses media to make them agree with their opinions, it's unhealthy, but it just can't be helped…" Hanayo said sadly.

They walk with each other quietly until they reached a door to a room,

"Here is your room, Nishikino-san… you should leave after midnight— Nozomi-chan should be already asleep by then…" Hanayo said.

"Thanks…" Maki said.

"Just call my worker when you need…" Hanayo said before she turned around and when she already walk away,

"Koizumi-san…" Maki said.

Hanayo turned around, Maki blushed slightly.

"It's… It's kind of quiet in your inn…" Maki said,

Hanayo blushed madly as she heard it.

"No-No! I don't mean it that way! I was…just…." Maki scratches her head,

"Just….uh…. maybe… you want me to do a favor for you?" Maki asked.

"Favor…?" Hanayo getting her face redder,

"Not that way! Damn it! I mean…like… maybe you need a musician to make music…" Maki said.

"Oh… we already have one… but he is on break around this hour… besides, didn't I tell you to just hide there until midnight? Would be bad if Nozomi-chan know about your escape…" Hanayo said.

"You're right…" Maki replied disappointedly.

"We will try to convince Nozomi-chan to place your ships to a good place for you and your companions to find, but for now, your safety comes first… I don't want any more people murdered in such cruelty…" Hanayo said.

"Understood…" Maki replied.

Hanayo smiled before she actually left her.

Maki sighed weakly,

"That really made me curious about her… but I suppose it's best if we don't mess up with her…" she whispered before she enters her room.

* * *

Toujou's resident, night time;

Nozomi already in white shirt and black tight short pants walking around the kitchen, she is currently working on her own dinner. Eli sneaks through the rooms very quietly then decided to make a small peek using a small hand mirror that she found in the bathroom.

_This whole houses have a lot of interesting mechanic… I really want to know further before leaving…but….this woman…. She looks somewhat dangerous….and that bronze glove… looks like a deadly weapon…. _

Eli said in her mind.

_…and she never took it off for some reason…why would someone always equip their weapon? For Security? That must be it…. this woman is insecure…_

Eli said again as she watch Nozomi attempting to cook a few meats on her pan.

_Put that aside though, I also need to know if this woman also the one who took our armors and weapons…and hiding our ships… if I could get at least one of them in hand…. I should be able to get the other at ease…_

Eli said again before she quickly moves from her spot. Nozomi noticed the movement, though she remained quiet to it.

Eli tried to look around the room, following all pipes and cables that attached around the walls.

_Hmm…. It's kind of messy, but these are actually somewhat effective… I wonder if there's a way to make it neat and still effective…_

Eli said again in her mind as she keeps on looking around and moves to a washing room. Then she noticed a pile of laundry stacked on a basket. They all look dirty…

_That's gross… is this woman has no sense of neatness…? Or she is just a busy person that she couldn't take care of her own laundry?_

Eli tried to approach it, then start looking inside it.

_Old fashions… and they're all one size too… she is living alone?_

And Eli paused when she found underwear…

_Huh? Why would underwear need to be decorated with frills and all? Waste of sources…Except she is up for something kinky with her lover… if she has one…_

Eli placed it back to the laundry basket. Then as Eli keep on examining her surrounding, she noticed a small chain slipped under the washing machine. She took it out gently— it's an amulet with a little amethyst in the middle. Eli noticed that the amulet can be opened, so she tried.

_A portrait… how classic and old…_

Eli commented. She noticed that there's only one person in it. A little girl with a soft and sweet smile… somewhat similar to the women she saw.

_She's cute…. But… hah—Cuteness will never trick me anymore…_

Eli said before she placed the amulet back to where it was.

_ I know she is just one of those girls inside… nothing special…_

Eli said again before she tried to sneak out of the room after she examined more machines. There's nothing that caught her interest inside the washing room other than the amulet.

Then she keeps going through rooms until she reached a room that looks like a workshop,

_The workshop…. Ah, this is good…there should be a lot of blueprints and machine that I can check out…_

Eli said in her mind as she began to look around in awe. Then she walk to the workbench and started to open blueprints one by one.

_Harasho… these are really a fantastic mechanic… basic, simple, yet powerful…. but… I wonder where they get these orbs. They're in every machine I encountered here…_

Without her realizing, Nozomi is already standing in front of the workshop entrance, she quietly enter the room, picking up a bottle of gasoline and an empty bucket.

_Ah either way, I wonder if I could copy and modify this using what we have in Terra to replace the—…_

and before Eli finished with her thought, Nozomi dumped all the gasoline on Eli…

Eli quickly turned around,

Nozomi smiled mischievously at her.

"So you escaped… that's good..." Nozomi said.

Eli sniffed herself, realizing that she is covered in gasoline.

Nozomi giggled,

"Now... I want to see you burning alive…" Nozomi said with a grin and she took out a lighter from her pocket.

* * *

**There, so whatca think? worth continuing?**


	3. Warrior's Heart

**Ok, next chapter.**

**I'll continue this fic till finish~**

**Thanks for letting me know that this is interesting enough to continue~**

**and reviews/comments/faves/follows, as usual**

* * *

Kotori's workshop, night time;

Umi still waiting for midnight, she keeps looking at clock from time to time as she reads book that Kotori took for her. Honoka still works cheerfully around the workshop, tending Kotori's material container while Kotori keeping an eye on her entrance door as she make something in her cauldron.

"Hmmm…. I wonder why I haven't see Nozomi-chan around by now? She usually go out for walk around these hours…" Kotori said.

"Maybe she is working on something else? She looks like a busy person… telling from her eye glances I mean…" Honoka said.

"Ehh? What do you mean busy person from eye glances?" Kotori asked.

"Hmm… How do I say it, my mother used to tell me that we can see people's heart from looking at their eye glances…as in, the way they look at the world always tell about how they are inside. From what I can tell about my first encounter with this Nozomi-chan, I think she doesn't enjoy her life and somewhat feel like her thoughts always gone somewhere else even though she is looking at you…" Honoka said.

"I feel the same… but I don't actually think about that before you told me, Honoka-chan…" Kotori said.

"Then I guess if you could look at my senior, her eyes would be like someone filled with hates and know no mercy… but if you're close to her you'll feel like you're being protected by her…" Umi said.

"That would looks like a personal guardian… hmm…I still really want a personal guardian…" Kotori said.

"Eh? What?" Honoka flustered.

"Personal guardian… for what?" Umi wondered.

"Eh, don't you think it's nice to have one? Because I often go out to the woods for materials even though Kayo-chan have a farm for it— it just that the materials on the woods often have special traits that the farm doesn't have …" Kotori said.

"I see…" Umi said.

"I'm still lost… materials and traits? What?" Honoka flustered.

"… if only I have a personal guardian, a warrior hearted one, I'll be safe and be able to explore more places…. Seeking for new adventure… and maybe knitting a love story on the way?" Kotori said.

"What are you talking about, warriors doesn't need love story…" Umi said.

"Ehh? No-no, they need one… with the one who they protect… because after all, a warrior isn't simply a person who does battles, right? We can always call them as murderer or soldiers instead… warrior is a lot more complex, like they must be loyal… brave… and willing to sacrifice…" Kotori said.

Umi remained quiet for a moment,

"You're right… that's how the true warrior is…" Umi said in all seriousness.

"W-wait, peoples…I'm still lost? What is this conversation talking about?!" Honoka said.

"Minami-san, if you want… I can be your warrior…" Umi said.

"Really?" Kotori asked excitedly.

"Yes, because you enlighten me with your words, I want to prove my worth…." Umi said still in all seriousness.

"You two… please explain me what happen here?" Honoka asked.

"Prove your worth, that's… that's romantic! I like!" Kotori said.

"Ah—but… I just remember I can't stay here…I have to go run right after midnight.." Umi said.

"That sounds like a Cinderella story, Sonoda-san, you're so romantic!"

"I'm sorry…. Minami-san… if only I could stay here longer…" Umi said.

"Ooooiiiiiii! What's happening hereeeeeee?!" Honoka shouts.

"Don't worry, Sonoda-san, if fate could make us stay together longer…." Kotori said.

"Let's hope so, Minami-san, if that happen, I'll make sure to dedicate my warrior heart to you.." Umi said in all seriousness.

"OI!OI!OI! I'm talking hereeeee!" Honoka shouted.

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, night time;

Maki keeping herself behind the window as she stare into the night view. She is somewhat very impressed at the looks of the giant trees on nearby forest and the huge farms that Hanayo own. She could hear a faint music coming from the hall way— and it's a piano sound. Part of her really wants to be the one who plays the piano, though knowing herself as a soldier—and she have to return after midnight,

She sighed weakly.

Then all so sudden, she could hear a loud noise from outside. There's a man running to the village and he shouts very loudly in panic,

"Help! Help!"

A worker from the inn quickly ran out,

"Help! My friend was attacked by a hippopotamus— we already managed to get him away from it, but he is badly injured!"

"Ah-crap, Koizumi-san is in the farm at the moment… I'll go call her... please wait!" the workers ran,

"But—he is losing a leg!" he said.

And as Maki heard it, she quickly looks around the room— then taking a blanket, leather cloth and jumps down through the window.

"Where is he? I'll give him first aid and bring him here if possible…" Maki said. The man surprised slightly,

"He is just north from here, I'll lead you…" he said.

"Please do…" Maki said before they quickly ran from their place.

* * *

Toujou's resident, workshop,

A lighter fell on the ground, gasoline dripping to the floor, Eli standing sturdy while Nozomi crouching on the ground, grabbing her stomach. She is coughing bloods out of her mouth.

"What's wrong? Can't stand?" Eli asked coldly.

Nozomi remained quiet, she is trying to catch her breath,

"That's only one hit… and you're already down… where's the fun?" Eli said coldly.

Nozomi turn her sight to Eli, her eyes are full of hate.

"Your peoples… coming all the way here to raid our village… then taking everything away with you, from time to time…and then you said, you can live without the mother nature….. pathetic…" Nozomi said.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about… but it seems like you mistake us with some lowly space pirates… either way though, I'm taking this as my own amusement… I really like destroying someone…" Eli said as she walks closer.

"Don't…. come any closer…." Nozomi warned her before she coughed another blood out of her mouth.

Eli chuckled, she tried to look around, there's a big bottle of ethanol. Eli smiled mischievously before she picks up the lighter on the ground, then walk to the big bottle of ethanol,

"Well…fine for me… I'm not coming any closer…" Eli said. Nozomi realized about what she is trying to do. Eli walks to the empty bucket, the one that Nozomi used to dump all the gasoline on her. Nozomi quickly tried to stand—despite the pain on her stomach.

"I'll just have some fun— the same fun that you wanted to see from me before…" Eli said as she pours the ethanol to the bucket,

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Except, I'd like to crush your fragile bones while you're burning…." Eli said as she turned to Nozomi and when she dumped all the ethanol— it suddenly stopped as if it's sticking to a curved wall in front of Nozomi.

Eli looks very surprised with it.

"Looks like you have no idea what magic means…" Nozomi said as she gives a mischievous smile.

Eli frowned,

"It's not simply all about taking cards out of your ears, you know…." Nozomi said before the ethanol suddenly shots back at Eli's body— which she isn't ready to dodge.

"Ever heard of mind magic? It's a very difficult magic as it always involve wit and knowledge about nature… and maybe— also about how to trick a fool like you…" Nozomi said as she began to charge a ball of wind on her hand.

Eli frowned deeper and as she is about to run to hit her with her right fist—

"Penta!" Nozomi said as the mystic emerald on her glove glowing. Then the ball of wind expanded very quickly and Nozomi casted it on Eli—knocking her back very roughly, causing her to hit the wall and broke the concrete.

Eli staggered, Nozomi didn't leave it like that, she charged another wind ball and casted it on Eli a lot of time—causing her to hit the wall a lot of time and keep breaking the concrete wall. A lot of rubbles fell near her.

"That's the power of the air— I still have plenty of elements that I could control with mind magic…" Nozomi smirked faintly,

Eli woke up, there's unbearable pain on her back.

"Such as…"

And before Eli could do anything, the rubbles and the broken concrete moves—turning into a stone fist and punched Eli away to the other side, hitting the metal machine and broke down to the ground,

Eli didn't move. She is laying down on top of the broken machine.

Nozomi approached her, she is looking at her with cold eyes,

"I thought you're better than that…" Nozomi said as she placed her feet on Eli's body.

She stares at her face for a moment.

"…to think about it though, you're actually a handsome one… even though you're a woman…" Nozomi said before she leaned her face closer,

"…or maybe I should call you beautiful? Hmm… we could've got a chance with each other… I'm a pretty lonely woman you know…" she said with a mocking smile.

Then after a moment of staring at her, Nozomi spits on her face, leaving bloods and her saliva on Eli's face.

"Joking… I'm not interested to make a chance with someone like you…not like I ever want to love someone…." Nozomi said before she stood back up and right before she is about to walk away from her…

Eli grabs her ankle.

Nozomi surprised with it.

Before Nozomi could do anything about it, Eli threw her away at ease. Causing her to hit the ceiling and fall back down to the ground so roughly.

Eli woke up from her place and she smiled at Nozomi mischievously, she was then running to grab her ankle and began to swing her around without mercy—hitting her here and there then ended with slamming her to the ground.

"I like the way gravity is a lot stronger here— hearing you fall so roughly amuse me…" Eli said,

Nozomi tried to wake up—but Eli quickly jumps on her and sat on her back. She could hear Nozomi moaned painfully,

"Ah.. what a beautiful voice you have— maybe you're right, maybe we can have a chance…." Eli trailed her hand on Nozomi's right arm to her glove,

"Get…yourself off me, you dirty machine slave…" Nozomi said.

"Hmm? Did I hear something?" Eli began to squeeze Nozomi's glove— crushing the metal at ease,

"No! No! That's my only memento of father…" Nozomi begged.

Eli smiled, she leaned to her,

"You won't need it… I'm going to crush you—soon after I satisfy your loneliness…." Eli whispered on her ear before she crushed her glove, destroying the mystic emerald, leaving with only thin hand protection and squeezed forehand guard.

"No….." Nozomi began to cry.

Eli pull both of her hands, placing them both on her back, Nozomi couldn't move— her body is all sore and Eli sat on her.

"You know, I'm always jealous when I see someone having a perfect body… I wish I was the one with that…. but then— now you made me thinking… perhaps destroying others body won't be able to make me feel good…" Eli said,

Nozomi tried to glance around— she could see a few bottles of water nearby.

"Maybe I should love them first, feeling the beauty, then crush it later when I'm done… hmm… that's a good scheme…. I couldn't do such things in the real battle field or in front of my juniors— this is a good chance to try it…" Eli said before she tore Nozomi's clothes, showing her bare back.

Nozomi remained quiet as she tried her best to focus on the water bottles,

Eli began to kiss her bare back and lick it very gently,

"What a good taste…If only I could—…."

And before Eli finished, a water bottle suddenly flew to her, hitting her face very roughly. Then another coming, at instant, Eli protects herself with her right arm, releasing her grip on Nozomi.

Nozomi smiled mischievously, she made all of the water bottle keep hitting her forcing her to sat up to dodge it.

Nozomi tried her best to stand up, everything still feel so sore for her, Eli keep trying to protect herself and dodging the water bottle and without her realizing, the water from the broken glass already pooled on the floor along with bloods...

"Table is turning again, darling… and you're really done this time…" Nozomi frowned before all the water pool suddenly began to move and froze up, creating needles of ices and Nozomi casted it on Eli— stabbing deep through her stomach and as an addition, Nozomi blow another wind ball, forcing Eli to hit the wall once again. Then Nozomi began to use every single element around the room and she—….

* * *

Koizumi's Inn,

Hanayo, Maki, Rin, and Niko in the lobby along with a few workers and a few other men, one of them have his leg cut off, but its warped neatly and no more blood running from it.

"Thank you so much, Koizumi-sama, you're always been so helpful… I'll make sure to promote your inn when I return to the city…" the man said.

"Ah, don't worry about it…" Hanayo smiled sweetly.

"Tell me though, where's the specific place of this hippopotamus-nya?" Rin asked.

"It's in the river, north west of this village. We were fishing and suddenly it attacks us…" said one of the men.

"Ah, you're a fishermen then-nya, hmm.. if you're looking for river trout, you can always try to fish a little to the south, there's a pretty tall hill over there— so whatever animals on the river will not be able to attack you-nya…" Rin said.

"I…I didn't know…. thank you…" the men said.

"No problem-nya! It's better to fish save than to lose a leg and using a peg-leg-nya!" Rin said.

"Hehe, we have something else though, Nozomi-chan should be able to make an artificial leg for you, but… hmmm…" Hanayo turned to the clock,

"It's still too early for her to be on bed, I'll go see her…." Hanayo said.

"Ah, should I go back to my room then?" Maki asked.

"Yup, thank you for your hard work to give first aid… I'm glad…" Hanayo said before she walks out from the Inn.

Maki sighed,

"Then I'll see you all later…" Maki said and just right before she left,

"Oi-You…" Niko called.

"Huh? What?" Maki turned,

"Who's your name?" Niko asked.

"Nishikino Maki… why?" Maki asked back.

"Just wondering… you're a student from Tera, right? We knew…" Niko said.

"Yea, I suppose we kind of stand-out eh?" Maki said.

"Nah— we knew because of something, but heck, your name is pretty popular among the Assassin… just so you know…" Niko said.

Maki smirked,

"Bah, those weren't my doing, ok? Eli did that, she was the cruel killer…not me…" Maki said before she continue walking.

"Maki-chan!" Rin called.

Maki turned around,

"I'm Hoshizora Rin! Let's be friends!" Rin smiled sweetly.

Maki blushed slightly,

"H-Huh? What are you saying? We just met and you just know me and we're suddenly friends?" Maki protested.

"Eh? Something wrong with that-nya? I just thought you'll be a good friend-nya…" Rin said.

"Oh…could it be, the infamous Assassin is too shy for friendship?" Niko said teasingly.

Maki blushed madly,

"S-shut the hell up! I'm not shy damn it! And I told you that wasn't my doing!" Maki yelled.

* * *

The village, night time;

Hanayo tried to knock on Nozomi's house door a few times. Though there's no respond from her.

"Nozomi-chan!" Hanayo shouted.

She tried to knock again.

Still no response.

She decided to go to the other house, then knock on the door,

"Kotori-chan…." Hanayo called out. Then she could hear a faint panic noise inside. Wondering what that is, Hanayo decided to open the door right away,

"Kotori-chan…."

As Hanayo open the door, there's Kotori and Honoka, Kotori is placing a plate on someone's face while Honoka is covering the sight with her hands— though it's still obvious that they're hiding someone.

Hanayo giggled,

"There, I saved her comrade too, she was Nishikino-san…." Hanayo said.

"Oh…." Kotori put down the plate. Honoka also returned to her place and Umi— have her face covered with cakes. Umi tried to clean up her face,

"Thank you… I was really worried that I'm the only one who's able to make it out safely…" Umi said.

"No problem, but I haven't found your other comrade…" Hanayo said.

"Ah, Eli, I shouldn't really worry, she is pretty tough so I doubt she has a problem, she might be out there looking for us…" Umi said.

"Hehe, yup… I hope she is taking the short route, because that one connects to my other farm…" Hanayo said.

"Ah, well, she is effective so I suppose she would do that…. unless there's something that interest her then she might be taking longer one…" Umi said.

"Eh…but taking longer one is dangerous— if she accidentally showed up in Nozomi-chan's house—…" Hanayo paused.

"…..if she accidentally showed up in Nozomi-chan's house…?" Honoka wondered.

Kotori widen her eyes,

"Aahh! Nozomi-chan! She…she might be in danger!" Kotori said.

"No-No…their comrade might be in danger! L-Let's go! Kotori-chan! We-we need to find them!" Hanayo began to panic.

"Y-y-yeah!" Kotori said.

"W-w-wait here, ok? We'll be back!" Hanayo said before they quickly ran out.

"That doesn't sound good…" Honoka said.

"Yes… doesn't sound good…" Umi said.

"We need to protect Kotori-chan…" Honoka said.

"Yes, protect Minami-san…" Umi said.

"Let's go, warrior Umi-dono…" Honoka said.

"Yes, let's go, warrior Honoka-dono…." Umi said in all seriousness.

* * *

Toujou's resident, night time;

Hanayo and Kotori opened the door—which strangely unlocked.

"Uh…it's so quiet…." Kotori whispered,

"Yeah… so maybe their comrade wasn't here at all?" Hanayo whispered back

"Maybe… should we check bathroom? I think the connection was there… right?" Kotori asked.

"Yes…we should…" Hanayo said.

The two quickly tried to check on the bathroom. Then as they arrived there, they examined the ground door. There's a few wet dirt around it.

"Ah...looks like someone opened it recently… this is bad…" Hanayo said.

"Uhn…I hope this comrade of theirs aren't going around too much… but I wonder why she took the longer path anyway…did something interest her…?" Kotori said.

"I'm sure there is… after all, they're new to this planet… they're visitors… only here for vacation…" Hanayo said before they decided to walk out from the bathroom.

"Yes, Sonoda-san said the same…plus, we're the one who caused them to fall… I kind of feel bad for treating them like a prisoner…" Kotori said.

"But…Nozomi-chan has a point, except she is going a little too aggressive and merciless…" Hanayo said.

As they got through a few rooms, Hanayo began to smell something,

"uhn…Kotori-chan…?"

"Yes?"

"Do you smell some kind of… uh… gasoline?" Hanayo said.

"Yes… maybe it's from the workshop?" Kotori asked.

"Probably…" Hanayo said.

The two decided to walk to the workshop door and as they could see what inside the work shop…

"N-Nozomi-chan….." the two widen their eyes…

Blood is all over the floor, Nozomi crouched, she keep coughing blood out of her mouth. Then at the wall, there's someone stabbed with ices, woods, and iron all over her body— she is still breathing and holding herself on the stabbed ices and iron.

"Ah….Kotori-chan…. Hanayo-chan…" Nozomi said before she coughed again.

Hanayo and Kotori couldn't say anything about it.

"Don't kill her yet, ok? Let her suffer like that… it's a lot more amusing for me…" Nozomi said before she fell to the floor.

* * *

Tojou's residence, morning;

Nozomi woke up from her long slumber, she stretched here and there— her body already feels good, she already changed to another clothes. She turned to her side, Kotori is currently sitting next to her with a lot of medicine set with her.

"Morning…Nozomi-chan…" Kotori greeted her calmly.

"Morning, Kotori-chan… did you took care of me?" Nozomi asked— her voice is slightly lighter than usual.

"Not quite, I'm just here to wait for you to wake up, Kayo-chan did all the works… and my medicine too… You're very terribly damaged last night, you have a terrible internal bleeding, but after I injected about 10 bottles of green potions, everything is fine again. Kayo-chan also casted regeneration magic from time to time to keep your body regenerating, it's a little troublesome for her because she has to wake up once every three hours… but she did it…" Kotori said.

"Ah, Sorry…and I guess I'll have to apologize to her too later…. I didn't expect her to be that powerful without her weapon…" Nozomi said.

"They're all military students, Nozomi-chan… not a pirate…" Kotori said.

"How do you know?" Nozomi asked.

"Because we saved two of them before we found you and her…" Kotori said.

Nozomi frowned and woke up from her bed,

"What are you talking about? They're dangerous. Kill them on sight…" Nozomi said.

"Nishikino-san, the red haired girl saved a fisherman last night… and Sonoda-san is helping out with my material farming today and she protects me along with Honoka-chan… they're not dangerous at all... they're willing to work without being paid…" Kotori said.

"What?! Have you gone insane? They're strangers! Then more importantly, they're aliens! They're not belong to earth, the earth has casted their family away long ago… they're not accepted here!" Nozomi said furiously.

Kotori sighed,

"Nozomi-chan… I've been thinking… maybe you should see yourself about who they truly are… and about who you truly are… It's not that I hate you or something, it just that… maybe… you're being too aggressive towards them— you're giving them a cold shoulder just right after you see them while they, or at least the two other, trying to get to know with us further before deciding… we greet them kindly, and they treat us back kindly…" Kotori replied.

"No, it's just a trick…. It's just their way to know your weakness…. They will crush you later, just like the way that woman crush me before… you see how terrible I was, right? That's their true face…" Nozomi said.

"Is it really? The two warned us about her before… and we warned them about you too… maybe everything that happen last night was just because you and her have the same face? Because I think… you and her are very alike with each other…. No… more like, we think you're alike…"

Nozomi frowned deeper,

"What makes me have the same face with a machine slave like them… I have a control on my magic and I did not use it to abuse the nature… I took care of them… and I took care of all of you too… while they, using machine to reinforce themselves, abusing nature, and killing whoever on their way… they're even too prideful to admit that they still depend on nature…"

"Maybe it's not about that, Nozomi-chan…" Kotori said.

"Why are you always using '_maybe_' in your words?" Nozomi said coldly.

"Because it's all just a possibility… you always make distance to everyone around you— even us. I'll never be sure about you… the only thing I'm sure is that you are clearly a cold blooded murderer when it comes about peoples from Terra and that's about it…" Kotori said.

Nozomi surprised to hear such comment coming from her friend,

"If I could suggest you one thing, Nozomi-chan…. why don't you just let them go away from this planet? I mean, if you really-really hate them…. they can always go away and never return…"

"What if they call reinforcement and began to attack our village again? We'll be all surely doomed…"

"Didn't I told you they're not pirates? They're just students…"

"You're just too innocent, Kotori-chan… that's not how the real world looks like…"

Kotori sighed,

"We're on that kind of argument again… but fine, let's forget that, I don't want to make enemy…"

Kotori stood up from her seat.

"And it looks like you're already fine to go on your own…so… I'll return to my workshop, ok? I need to restock medicines…" Kotori said before she walks to the door.

"Kotori-chan…." Nozomi called her.

Kotori turned to her,

"Did you see what she did to my glove?" Nozomi asked.

Kotori sighed again,

"If I have to be honest, Nozomi-chan, I'm glad she did that… you've been abusing that glove for your ego… I believe Kayo-chan would agree with me…" Kotori said before she actually left.

Nozomi once again surprised to hear it, she clenched her fist as she saw her friend gone from her room.

* * *

Outside,

Kotori sighed in relieve, Hanayo and Honoka already waited her,

"How is it, Kotori-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"That was pretty scary, she is like she could explode at any time… but I told her what I've been thinking… I hope she consider it…" Kotori said.

"What about her glove? I know she treasure that one so much…" Hanayo said.

"I also told her to let that go… she should be fine without— she is already powerful unarmed…" Kotori said.

"Then their ship? Did you get to ask her to take it out?" Hanayo asked.

"No…I don't think she will let them go home so early…" Kotori said.

"Then maybe that would be my turn to try to convince her…" Hanayo said.

"Good luck, Kayo-chan…" Kotori said.

"Yup! Good luck! Hanayo-chan!" Honoka cheered.

* * *

Somewhere at the field,

Umi, Eli, and Maki, three of them still wearing their suits, Eli's suit is ragged and torn here and there while the others are still flawless.

They are all working on the farm, gathering the harvestable crops. Eli sighed weakly,

"Why would we work here now? Why can't we just ask to get out ships back and go home?" Eli said.

"We're landing on their land, I know it was all just an incident, but still… we're landing on their land… this is their home, we have to keep our respect…" Umi said.

"Koizumi-san promised me to try to convince her to get our ship back… we should just wait her and stay peaceful with them…" Maki said.

"Yes, we're just students after all… it would be a big trouble if our authority knows that we're starting a war… especially that we're currently on top of the most known students…" Umi said.

"It will hurt our grade… and that would be bad…" Maki said.

Eli chuckled,

"Hah, grades are just bullshit. As long as you're good in battle, they will favor you in their military units…because after all, we're trained to be a war machine… and that's about it…" Eli said.

Umi sighed,

"You're at that again… I really hate it, you always say that when you're in a bad mood… Eli… To tell you the truth, we're all still human… we have heart, we have will, and we have our own way to live our life. You're just not enjoying it…" Umi said.

"You can always decide to put where your passion at, you know…" Maki said.

Eli smirked,

"Sure… that's you… but not for me…" Eli said.

"Eli… please… not again, I'm tired saying this for over and over… but Eli, look, you're not born to be that… you're born just like us… nothing different… but…"

Umi sighed,

"Let's… just stop talking about this… ok? We've tried our best to keep your secret and cleaning you up from those inflammable liquids, it's already too much work … even Koizumi-san who healed you last night didn't know about your… mechanic part…let's just deal what we have to deal with here and go home as soon as we got our ship back…" Umi said.

"Yeah… I doubt you can live here with that woman around…" Maki said.

* * *

Toujou's residence, underground garage and workshop;

Nozomi keep staring at the three ships that she kept. Then near them, there are full armored suits and a few folded weapons. She sighed weakly before she approached each of them.

Firstly, she decided to approach Anemone Heart. She keep staring at it for a moment, seeing how the details unscathed after falling from such height. It's very well made and armored. The shape is also somewhat attractive and everything else looks classic. She decided to leave that alone.

Then she moved to the next one, Beat In Angel, looking at how brave the color is and how fancy the details are. She smiled faintly as she could see a small Santa Claus keychain hanging on the steering wheel, then also a faint angel wings on the chair. She decided to leave that alone.

Then as she moves to the next one… a white and strong looking ship, Glass Garden, for some reason, she have a temptation to get inside it, wondering what it looks like and what does the owner kept inside it.

The first thing she found is a box of tools, something that everyone would keep in their vehicle. She put that away, then next thing she could find is an album— a family photo album. She carefully opens it,

A lot of picture of Eli and her family inside it…

Father, mother, her and a younger sister…

Then each of them has a contact numbers and also addresses which Nozomi isn't familiar with. Either way though, Nozomi really knows what she wanted to do with it.

She threw it outside.

Then started to look for something else….

She could find an unfinished knitted sweater near a picture of a girl—looks like her younger sister. There also a few materials with colorful color.

Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Once again, she threw that outside.

She tried to look for more things— but there's nothing else but a tablet.

She threw that out too.

Nozomi kicked all the things she just threw out, gathering it all in one place. Then she looks around for something— and the first thing that caught her eyes is… the metal crusher.

Nozomi decided to pick all of them up then began to activate it. Waiting for it to start working faster and put everything she found inside. As it came out— as small pieces of crushed metals and scattered papers and cloth,

Nozomi couldn't feel enough with it.

She decided to look for more things and the other is a fireplace. She placed everything in, then as she waits, she could see a few paint buckets— she never used them lately, and she turned to the ship.

Once again, a mischievous smile,

She picks it up and opened the bucket lid. She dumped all the paints into it in a very messy way.

She chuckled,

But for some reason, she hasn't feel enough with it. She turned to the folded weapon.

She decided to pick it up then began to wonder how it works.

She examined it for a moment and found out about how to unfold it.

She could feel the weapon is somewhat very heavy, though she could hold it with two hands…

And with it, she began to bash it on the ship...

Brutally…

She began to giggle as she do it— for some reason, she feel like a few grip in her heart began to loosen.

Then at the end, she threw the weapon to the glass, creating a crack as it stuck on it.

Without her realizing, she wounded her hand in the action.

Suddenly, a pair of gentle hand began to heal her.

Nozomi surprised with it and she turned to see this person who healed her,

Hanayo smiled gently at her.

"You look like having fun…." Hanayo said.

Nozomi smiled,

"I am… that is what she gets for humiliating me last night…" Nozomi said.

Hanayo sighed weakly,

"Well, Nozomi-chan… I've never seen you smiling like that, I'm glad… but… you do know what you're doing, right?" Hanayo asked.

"Humiliating her, of course…" Nozomi said proudly.

Hanayo nodded,

"Yup, no different than what she did last night… I hope you're not regretting this later." Hanayo said with a sad smile.

Nozomi noticed the slight sadness,

"It's a payback… ok? I just want to make it fair... besides, pirates or not, that woman is clearly a war puppet—something to destroy… I've done a lot of things to her and she hasn't died yet—and I'm very disappointed that you healed her and let her stop suffering…" Nozomi said.

Hanayo nodded slightly,

"Nozomi-chan… this is just a small question, what makes a cold blooded murderer like you and a war puppet like her different than each other?"

Nozomi remained quiet to it, she knew it's a question that she shouldn't answer…

"I hope you put that as something you should consider… it's not that I did not find your act to be useful— I know you're just trying to protect us...and we're grateful for it… but, think again… if you're in place of them… will you be fine?"

Nozomi shook her head,

"You're too innocent to understand the real life… Hanayo-chan, but…I respect you… I can't say any argument right now…" Nozomi said.

Hanayo giggled,

"Of course, I respect you too, Nozomi-chan…. but, if I may suggest you, if you're really afraid that they will call reinforcement or spreading about our weakness, why not giving them a chance to prove themselves? I think Nishikino-san said they're on vacation here, so they should be having some kind of end to their free time? You should talk to them…." Hanayo said calmly.

Nozomi sighed,

"I'll try…."

* * *

The farm,

Umi, Eli, and Maki taking their break time,

Maki sighed,

"Wow… this is actually tiring, I didn't expect the real farming would be this painful…" Maki said.

"Are you hungry? I have macaroon from Minami-san… she said it should be indestructible…" Umi said as she offered it to Maki.

"Is that a prank? How can you even eat it if it's indestructible?" Maki said.

"Hmm…well, I've been eating this though…" Umi said as she bit the macaroon, and she actually can eat it. Maki is a little flustered,

"I don't get it… but fine, I'll try it…" Maki said as she took one from Umi.

Maki tried to bite it…

The macaroon is still between her teeth.

Umi and Eli keep staring at her, wondering why she hasn't eats it yet.

Then Maki take it out again…and she tried to crush it with her hand

"This…This is really indestructible…" Maki said.

"Really?" Umi took the macaroon back and eat it—and she can eat it.

"What the hell…" Maki said before she took another macaroon, and she can't bite it, she can't destroy it, and she ended up slamming the macaroon on the ground then step on it…but….

"Aaarghh! My feet!" Maki said as she grabs her strained feet.

Umi looking at her confusedly…

"Damned macaroon!" Maki threw the macaroon on a wood plank—the wood plank broke.

"The heck?!" Maki yelled.

Eli getting a little curious, she tried to pick one then trying to break it with her hand— she can't.

"Wow…what…. this is really…" Eli said as she keeps trying. Maki also took another macaroon, then also trying to break it.

Umi watching the two doing their best as she eats the macaroon quietly...

After a while,

Eli and Maki getting really tired from trying to break the macaroon,

"Ah… That was good, I'm ready to work again…" Umi said.

"Why are you so happy about this…" Maki said.

"This is pretty fun, honestly, I feel like my warrior heart is burning…" Umi said.

"What is this…'warrior heart' you're talking about…." Eli said.

"I'm not sure… I'm just feeling good…" Umi said.

"Don't tell me, you're in love with that alchemist girl?" Maki asked,

"Huh?! No! What are you saying! Warriors don't fall in love!" Umi said.

Then suddenly, Kotori came by and she is on a horse back, she is wearing a formal clothes.

"Sonoda-san, can you please help me gathering these materials? I told the same to Honoka-chan, you should meet her…" Kotori said.

"Ready, Minami-san!" Umi saluted.

"Rin-chan already makes the mapping too, you should take it so you don't get lost…" Umi said.

"Ok!"

"An… Oh, Sonoda-san, if you're still hungry, you can get the manjuu that Honoka-chan made. Should be on the dining table…" Kotori said.

"Yes, Minami-san! Thank you!" Umi said.

"Bye, Sonoda-san, I'll be back later at night…" Kotori said before she gone with her horse.

"Bye…." Umi waved at her.

Maki and Eli smirked at her.

"Warrior heart….huh?" Maki said.

"Eh? It's a payment… I'm working for her…" Umi said.

"Oh…" Maki raised her eyebrow, giving her a sarcastic looks.

Then suddenly, another horse came by— a dark horse with a violet haired woman riding on it.

"Ah, that's a good timing, three of you here…" Nozomi said as she stopped,

Umi, Maki, and Eli turned at her. They got a little tense as their eyes met her hateful eyes,

"I heard from the others, three of you were here for vacation?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, we are…" Maki said.

"It's a misunderstanding, yes… we're not pirates… and we only have two months of vacation time." Umi said.

Nozomi giggled, somehow there's a hint of mischief in her.

"I see, but I won't be easily convinced, you know… especially with the damage you cause to my workshop—and my glove…" Nozomi said as her eyes focused on Eli.

Maki and Umi cringed,

"But since I'm nice… I want to give you all a chance… what about you all stay here for a month and a half, do something good to prove your worth? In one condition though…" Nozomi said.

"I have a bad feeling about this, but, say it…" Maki said.

Umi sighed, Eli frowned,

"I don't want any harmful violence done by any of you— except for hunting and other thing that done for the village's benefit… do you understand what I mean?" Nozomi said.

"And if we fail to prove it?" Maki asked,

"Simple, I'll slaughter all of you… even if it just someone's mistake." Nozomi said— her eyes still on Eli.

Umi and Maki frowned,

"Shouldn't be a problem if you're really here for peace… right?" Nozomi said.

"How about it, Umi…?" Maki asked.

"I have no problem…but…." Umi turned to Eli.

"No problem, I'll leave this village for one and a half month…. Solved…" Eli said.

"Too-bad, you're not going anywhere…. You have to work for me from now on to pay your debt for ruining my workshop…" Nozomi said.

Eli frown deeper at her.

"I don't know, but I don't really like the sound of this deal…" Maki said.

"I didn't say I'm giving you a choice, that or death, got it?" Nozomi said coldly.

Maki and Umi smirked bitterly,

"Deal…" Eli said coldly.

Maki and Umi surprised to hear it.

"What the hell you're saying, Eli? Are you insane?!" Maki yelled.

"Eli, you know this is just a trap for you, right?" Umi said.

"I know— but if she want to play a game, I'm on… and if we're winning this one, we get all of our belongings back and leave this planet forever…" Eli said.

Nozomi giggled,

"My, charming aren't you? You surely know how to have fun…" Nozomi said mockingly,

"Eli…you're….crazy, you know that?" Maki said weakly.

"I…I don't know what to say about you anymore, Eli…" Umi said.

Eli didn't make a respond

Nozomi giggled again,

"I'll be back later tonight with your works, see you later… darling…" Nozomi said as she stare at her mockingly, raised her hand—showing a middle finger to Eli, and left them.

* * *

**K, hope it's not too extreme but i tried to keep it as soft as I could.**


	4. The Thunder Bird

**Kk, so I saw that one of you complained about the bad words, dw, I have something to do with it~**

**then as always... Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! Love it!**

* * *

Koizumi Inn, Night time;

Niko, Rin, Maki, and Hanayo sat around the restaurant of Koizumi's Inn, they're currently having their dinner. Niko, Rin, and Hanayo seems to really enjoy their meal, though Maki is somewhat doubting as she eats her meal.

After a few minutes passed, Niko noticed that,

"Oi, Maki, what's wrong with the meal? Didn't fit your tongue?" Niko asked.

Rin and Hanayo turned their eyes on her,

"Ah…No… it just that…." Maki blushed slightly,

"I…. I really like the meal…" Maki continued.

"Haha, of course you should, I'm the chef… a VIP chef…" Niko said.

"But you don't looks like enjoying the food-nya. Something wrong-nya?" Rin asked.

Maki remained quiet for a moment,

"I'm…I'm just a little worried…" Maki said.

Hanayo, Niko and Rin flustered.

"I….well….firstly…. I…. I want to apologize; I took some of the harvest and gave it to Eli for her lunch…" Maki said.

Hanayo smiled sweetly,

"That's ok, I know she won't have anyone feeding her during that time…" Hanayo said.

"Really?" Maki sounds somewhat excited.

"Yup, no problem…" Hanayo said.

"Then…uh…. well… we can monitor her lunch since we are working with her during that time, but…I…I don't know about tonight…" Maki said.

Hanayo nodded slightly,

"I understand…"

Maki looks surprised,

"Then, Niko-chan, why don't you cook one set of meal for her?" Hanayo said.

"Sure, no problem…" Niko said.

"You can send it after you eat your meal, Nishikino-san…" Hanayo said.

"Really?" Maki said excitedly

"Yup, really…"

"Thank you, Koizumi-san!" Maki bowed in gratitude.

Hanayo giggled,

"There-there… eat your food first…" Hanayo said.

"Will do...!"

* * *

Minami's resident, Night time;

Honoka, Kotori, and Umi currently watching an entertainment show in the television, they're all currently eating snacks too. Honoka and Kotori looks very occupied with what they're watching, but Umi doesn't looks comfortable.

After a moment, Honoka offered some cookies to Umi,

"Want some?" Honoka asked.

"Ah…No…. thank you…" Umi said.

Kotori noticed the discomfort from Umi's voice,

"What's wrong, Sonoda-san? Are you not feeling comfortable here?" Kotori asked.

"No… it's not like that…. it just that…." Umi paused for a moment.

"There's plenty of snacks and food in this place… but… the last time I went to Toujou's place to help carrying Toujou-san and Eli…. I….I doubt there would be plenty of them there…" Umi said.

Kotori nodded slightly,

"I understand… to tell you the truth, I don't think Nozomi-chan is going to give her any too…" Kotori said.

"Yes... that's what I'm worried about…" Umi said.

"Then, Honoka-chan, can you make a few more manjuus for her?" Kotori asked.

"Yup, no problem!" Honoka said before she quickly ran to the kitchen.

"Great, then uh…I think I have a few drinks or potions in the workshop too, you can give it to her…" Kotori said.

"Thank you so much…It's really something…" Umi said somewhat cheerfully.

* * *

Toujou's resident, Night time;

Nozomi currently eating her dinner while Eli just standing in a corner of the room. She have worked much today, from the tending the farm for Hanayo until cleaning up for Nozomi.

After a moment—and Nozomi is in her last spoon of her meal, A grumbling sound heard from Eli's stomach. Nozomi paused. Eli blushed slightly and quickly turns her face away.

She turned to Eli and smiled mischievously.

She left her last meal on her bowl, then going to pick up various seasoning and some random raw small ingredients. She placed it on her bowl and mixed them all together. Then she approached Eli,

"Hungry, aren't you?" She asked mockingly.

Eli remained quiet.

"You don't need to act tough, I know you are…" Nozomi take a spoon of the horrible looking meal and offered it to her,

"Come on, eat it… I'm being kind to you for your…" Nozomi glanced to the clean floor.

"Hard work…" she continued.

Eli still quiet.

"You can't sleep with empty stomach… and you have to start working in my school tomorrow too…"

Eli smirked wryly, but in the end, with full of doubt, she decided to accept it.

_Horrible…. This is the worst food I ever taste…_

Eli said in her mind as she eats it.

Nozomi smiled—somewhat looks satisfied as she watches Eli painfully eating it.

"Be glad I didn't put any poison in this food…" Nozomi said.

Eli remained quiet.

"If I could, I would like to add a tear just to see you writhing in pain…" Nozomi continued as she took another spoon of the meal— cleaning up the whole bowl.

"And here is the last one— two spoon of a nice dinner from Toujou Nozomi, you must be glad…"

Eli frowned slightly,

"I sense anger— hmm… that's fine… as long you know that it will lead you to another blood bath…. Except this time, I'll kill your companion first— then you…so I could see you crying… if you ever have some tears to drop…" Nozomi giggled.

Eli accepted the last spoon—but….

She spits it out right on Nozomi's face.

Nozomi didn't get a chance to dodge,

"You…." Nozomi frowned,

"Sorry, is that included as violence? Don't think so… no harm done…" Eli said sarcastically.

"So you want to play with your witty ass, huh? Then…." Nozomi grip tighter on her bowl before she bashed it on Eli's head… The bowl broke,

"…tell you what— you and your companions are the only one who can't use violence against us… we can do anything to you….. I can do anything to you…even—…"

"—This!"Nozomi punched Eli very roughly on her face,

Eli chuckled,

"That's a very weak hit… I barely feel it…" Eli said mockingly.

Nozomi did another punch to her face with more power,

"Hah! What's wrong? That's still very weak. Can't do any better punch without your glove?" Eli said mockingly.

Nozomi frowned deeper, she began to charge a wind ball and casted it on Eli furiously.

Eli chuckled mockingly,

"Magics…you really depend on them right? That's nice to know…Magic slave…" Eli said with a mocking smile,

Nozomi cranked, she quickly pick up a chair and—

* * *

Meanwhile, outside,

Maki carrying a box of fine dinner, Umi with a box of manjuu, they stood in front of Nozomi's house.

They sighed weakly,

"Ok, Maki… let's…just be as polite as possible, ok?" Umi said.

"Understood…" Maki said.

"However she treats us, remember that, we shouldn't be taken by emotion, else, we will have to face the consequence and… we don't want that… because Eli will more likely to be the first target…" Umi said.

"Got it…"

"Ready?"

"Ready…"

And Umi tried to knock the door politely.

But suddenly they could hear a very loud thump.

Maki began to feel agitated, Umi held her.

"Stay calm…"Umi said.

Maki bit her lip.

Umi tried to knock on the door again,

After a moment, Nozomi finally open it for them.

Umi and Maki surprised to see her, she is very messy and there's still some spits out food on her face,

"What?" She asked coldly.

"We….we want to meet our companion…" Umi said calmly.

Nozomi smiled mischievously,

"Here you go… be quick…" Nozomi opened the door,

Eli is crouching on the floor. A chair is broken completely near her. A few bruises on her face.

Umi sighed weakly, Maki turn her eyes away— they walk in as they tried to keep calm.

Umi approached her and sat near her.

"Eli…" she called her gently.

"Ah…sorry… to let you see me like this…" Eli said.

Umi shook her head,

"That's fine… we've always seen you like this in battle field…" Umi said.

"Yeah, but it's not like I want to see you like that though…" Maki said.

Eli smiled faintly.

"Maki, do you know how to use potions? I brought them from Kotori's workshop…" Umi said as she put some potions on the floor.

"Not sure, but I hope it's the same with the usual medicine…" Maki said as she took the handkerchief that she got from Hanayo. As she was about to take the potion, Nozomi suddenly snatched it and poured it on Eli's head.

Maki and Umi surprised to see it.

Eli is moaning very softly as it happen— though all the bruises suddenly gone.

Nozomi giggled,

"Didn't know you all still too amateur for potion usage… but that's how potions works… thank me…" Nozomi said mockingly.

Eli and Umi remained quiet, Maki clenched her fist,

"Why can't you be—…" Maki is about to hit Nozomi, but Eli and Umi quickly held her.

Maki stopped for a moment, she turned to two of her seniors, they shook their head…

"Urgh! Why did you even—?! I hate this! You know that!?" Maki yelled before she stormed out of the room, and before she completely left, she turned around,

"Hey, listen up, Eli might be just the same cruel as you, and she might be just as rude as you, but guess what? One day, when you finally know who she truly is— you'll regret this… like really regret this!" Maki yelled again before she actually left.

Umi and Eli sighed weakly, Nozomi chuckled,

"What is she even talking about— this is amusing…" Nozomi said.

"She is just talking from experience…" Umi whispered very softly.

Eli remained quiet, though she gives out a very faint smile.

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, Night time;

Maki keep hitting her own head on the wall gently, she even cried quietly until someone knocked her door.

Maki stopped and she decided to open the door,

"Maki-chan…. why are you knocking the wall non-stop-nya….." Rin said as she held her pillow.

"Eh?! You..you heard that?" Maki said.

"Yeah, my room is just next to you-nya…" Rin said.

"S-Sorry… I'll stop…" Maki said.

Rin noticed the bruise on Maki's head.

"Are you ok-nya?" Rin asked.

"I…I think so…" Maki said shyly.

Rin smiled, she looks around first before she placed her hand on Maki's head and healed her.

"E-Ehhh?!" Maki surprised.

"Sssshh! Don't be so loud-nya!" Rin said.

"W-wha…. What did you just—…." Maki flustered.

"Hehe, it's a first aid magic. It could heal a minor wound or bruises-nya…" Rin said.

Maki staring at Rin in awe…

"I might not be a good healer like Kayo-chin… but…I hope that helps… I kind of wish you are willing to talk to me too though-nya…" Rin said.

"Maki blushed,

"W-well….uh…..I….I don't know if you'll understand the problem….B-but anyway! We just met! How could we suddenly be so friendly?! Be-besides! You're a pirate! You dragged us to this problem!" Maki yelled.

"Sssshh! I told you not so loud-nya!" Rin said.

"Uh…Uh….okay…."

"Can I come in-nya? Let's just talk inside… I'll tell you everything…." Rin said with a smile.

"Ah….uh….okay…."

Maki nodded before she lets Rin to come in.

* * *

Kotori's workshop, Night time;

Umi just returned and she sighed heavily,

"Sonoda-san!" a cheerful voice.

"Eh? K-Kousaka… what are you doing in the workshop…?" Umi asked.

"Hehe, just wondering about something, can I call you Umi-chan?" Honoka asked.

"E-Eh? Uh…okay?" Umi replied shyly.

"Thanks! You can call me Honoka…" Honoka said.

"Alright…so… it's Honoka…" Umi said, she blushed slightly.

"Yup… that feels a little better now…"

The room is quiet for a moment,

"S-so…is there any other reason why you're here?" Umi asked.

"Hmm… kind of… I was just wondering, how's your friend?" Honoka asked.

"You mean, Eli?" Umi asked.

"Yup, Eli-chan…" Honoka said.

"S-she…well… she is…..I…I don't know…" Umi said sadly.

"You don't know…? You were there, right?" Honoka asked.

"Well…I left… after Toujou-san pouring whole chili sauce and peppers on Eli's food…. But…I just bet it will be painful for Eli to eat it…" Umi said.

"Eh? Then don't eat it, get a new one…" Honoka said.

"We can't…. it's just something that we always do…" Umi said.

"What do you mean?" Honoka asked.

"Food is highly valued in Terra, so if we already decide to eat a set of meal, we have to eat it until it's done… Except it's already rotten— but the one Eli currently eat is still fresh….and Eli already started to eat it…Nozomi pour them a bit later…" Umi explained.

"I see… but still, if you're sick because of it, wouldn't that be a trouble?" Honoka asked.

"That's why I'm here, I want to look if there's anything that can help her later stomachache…" Umi said.

"That should be the green potions, it heals any kind of internal damage…" Honoka said.

Umi surprised to hear it.

"You looks like you know a lot… I didn't expect that…" Umi said.

"Hehe, I've been working with Kotori-chan for 5 years now…" Honoka said.

"Ah…."

They're quiet for a moment.

"Wait…what?" Umi getting more surprised.

"Oops… I said it… but heh anyway… yeah, the capture was actually just a fake drama…" Honoka said.

"W-what do you mean?" Umi flustered,

"Well… it's a long story…" Honoka said.

"I…I'll listen… please tell me…" Umi said.

* * *

Toujou's residence, early morning;

Eli woke up, on the floor of the living groom. She was covered with Nozomi's torn clothes—the one that she tears before. Nozomi threw it at her last night saying that it's the only blanket she could use.

As Eli tried to wake up, she could feel something weird... Something is gone from her and as he tried to look down— she is not wearing any clothes, her suit is gone and the only piece that left is her rubber skin—the one that she is using to cover her mechanic part.

Eli stood up,

_Damn it…. is she really that cruel?_

Eli said in her mind.

_This woman… she really knows no mercy… and I have to deal with this woman for 1 month and a half…. _

Eli tried to look around the room, covering her sensitive part with the torn clothes. Eli sighed, then as she turned to the table, she noticed a familiar screwdriver placed there.

_That's….._

Eli approached it, then she quickly peels her rubber skin to check— the one that she place in her forearm is gone.

_She opened my arm… she knows about me…._

And suddenly, the front door opened, Eli quickly tried to cover herself...

"Ah, you woke up… what a heavy sleeper…or you're just too tired from writhing in pain last night?" Nozomi giggled as she close the door.

Eli frowned,

"I was just about to just change your clothes this morning since you're going to my school— and I can't let you wear that tattered suits… but then as I open your clothes, I realized there's a strange part in you, so I decided to check it out and…."

Nozomi chuckled,

"Turns out that part of you is a junk… that makes me really happy, you know… Now I have something to use to insult you…junk-woman…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Eli didn't make a respond.

"Then I was curious about your two other friends, so I decided to go check them out too— but apparently, they're fully human...and you're the only junk-woman in the team…" Nozomi said as she chuckled amusedly.

Eli smirked,

"At least we agreed on that…" Eli said.

Nozomi frowned,

"Why are you agreed to that?" Nozomi said.

"Part of me is a junk, yes… I agreed on that. Why do I have to lie that I disagreed with it…? Are you unhappy that we agreed with each other?" Eli replied coldly.

"I am— because I don't want to agree with you…" Nozomi replied coldly too.

"Too bad then, maybe next time…" Eli replied mockingly.

"You should be glad I didn't take that arm off, idiot…" Nozomi said furiously.

"You just can't figure out where the screw is…Because my mechanic part is fully covered by the metal muscles… right?" Eli said.

"I am better than that…"

"It requires high-tier knowledge of mechanic to be able to figure out about how to open this arm, even I can't do it. Your machines are all made of basics knowledge combined with whatsoever magical things… you can't possibly know about it…" Eli said coldly.

"You're underestimating me…"

"Then let's make another deal, I want you to try to takes this arm off right now. If you can't figure it out, you have to return all of our ships, armors, and weapons, right now…but if you can, you can have my arm, salvage it or do anything to it…" Eli said.

Nozomi cringed,

"Deal?" Eli smiled mischievously.

She sighed weakly,

"No—I'm not interested on your junk…" Nozomi said.

Eli chuckled,

"See? You can't… you're just scared, and you won't admit it…"

Nozomi clenched her fist,

"You're just a pathetic loser…" Eli said.

"You better…." Nozomi prepared her fist,

"—take that back!" she shouted before she jumped to Eli.

* * *

Outside, early morning;

Maki and Umi already outside for their morning exercise, they're wearing fine clothes that given by Kotori— A fine dark brown jeans trouser, black shirt, then leather jacket, plus the thick black glove and boots.

"…have you heard the story then?" Umi asked.

"Yeah, Rin told the same story last night…" Maki said.

"….then, what do you think about it….?" Umi asked.

"I think it's kind of typical…" Maki said.

"I'm not talking about the quality of the story…" Umi said.

"Oh... you mean that…. well…Umi….I…I don't know, I just feel like we can't do anything about it. That kind of hate caused by her past… isn't it just the same like what we've always been dealing with? We just let that go in the end too, right?" Maki said.

"True…but… that because it does have a benefit in our side— with Eli being a cold-blooded murderer, we always get high grade from the server in Military study… now I began to realize, we really should do something about a person like that…" Umi said.

Maki sighed,

"Well… I don't really know where to start…we need a person who can do something out of the box…and know how to deal with the later…." Maki said.

"Hmm…. Who is this person, I wonder…" Umi said.

Then they could see Kotori walking out of the workshop, carrying a set of clothes which probably made for Eli.

They also can see that Kotori is knocking the door a few times, but she got no answer or respond after a few minutes.

"Ah...don't tell me… they're at it again?" Maki said.

"Probably…" Umi sighed.

And they can see Kotori sighed weakly before she decided to open the door herself….

They thought everything will just go calmly…but….

Suddenly…. They could see electric power began to spark around Kotori's body, it's like she is making them… and she looks like she is going to explode…

"W-what…-what…what going to happen…" Umi began to panic.

"W-wow…she is charging electric…" Maki said.

And then, a thundering high-pitched voice shouted,

"AYAAASEE-SAAAAANN!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, early morning;

A slap on a white board, Kotori standing near it while Eli and Nozomi sitting on the sofa facing to it. Eli is already in a black shirt and brown jeans trouser with black boots and gloves. Nozomi is in her usual set, white shirt, dark red vest, and long skirt along with black necktie, except she doesn't have any gloves on. Kotori is giving them a very intense lecture.

"So once again, Nozomi-chan! Stripping Ayase-san naked is called rape, R-A-P-E! OK?!"

"Yes…Kotori-chan…" Nozomi said lazily.

"Then, Ayase-san! If you're naked, you shouldn't pin someone else on the floor… people see it as rape too, ok? R-A-P-E!" Kotori said.

"She jumped at me first!" Eli said.

"Ayase-san!"

"Yes…." Eli sighed.

"Say everything once again, you two!" Kotori yelled.

"No fighting, No raping, and No more violence…" Eli and Nozomi said lazily.

"Good, remember, if I see you two doing that kind of thing again—…." Kotori frowned,

"You both get penalty, got it?!" Kotori yelled.

"Yes…" Eli and Nozomi replied lazily.

"And then for you, Nozomi-chan… I heard you've been tormenting Ayase-san…" Kotori said.

"Who the fuck is Ayase-san…" Nozomi said as she glanced at Eli.

"Nozomi-chan! Mind your words! This is not a tavern—and you're not talking to pirates! They're students! S-T-U-D-E-N-T-S! You always insist your students to be polite but you're using that word yourself! That's bad, you know… B-A-D!" Kotori lectured.

"But I'm talking about junk…" Nozomi said.

And then an electric spark suddenly casted on Nozomi.

"Nozomi-chan! Ayase-san is not a junk, Ayase-san is human…remember, H-U-M-A-N!"

Nozomi smirked wryly, Eli smiled in victory at her. Nozomi quickly giving a middle finger at her,

"I see that, Nozomi-chan! No more middle finger!" Kotori slammed the white board.

Eli chuckled,

"Looks like someone got what she deserves…" Eli said in mockery,

"Ayase-san! No more mocking! You hear me?" Kotori said.

Eli smirked,

"I was just saying…" Eli said.

"Nope, not listening to excuses! I'm going to my workshop now… you better be hurry to school, Nozomi-chan! You better not be late! Then if you really want to bring Ayase-san to school to do your work, then you better treat her well!" Kotori said before she left.

Nozomi and Eli began to stare at each other, their eyes full of hate towards each other. Without them realizing, Maki and Umi are peeking from their windows.

"That's….that's the exact person that I'm looking for…" Umi said.

"Minami-san, you mean? Yeah…she looks pretty scary there…didn't expect her to be able to be that angry…" Maki said.

"She is very discipline in a way—yes… that's the correct person…" Umi said. Her eyes somewhat sparkling.

"Huh? You started to looks like you found a correct soul mate or something…"

"Nope, I'm talking about my warrior sense, Maki…. My warrior sense tells me that Minami-san is the correct person to change the fate…" Umi said.

"See…? You're clearly off the road…" Maki sighed.

"Nope, I'm not, trust me…I'm loyal to my warrior's heart…I don't fall in love, ok? This is a duty calling…" Umi said.

Maki sighed again. Then she turned her sight to Eli, she is still quiet and staring at Nozomi coldly as Nozomi did the same at her.

"Seriously though, why are they suddenly trying to rape each other? Or was it really a misunderstanding?" Maki said.

"I'm sure it's a misunderstanding… Eli is just not the type… I'm not sure about Toujou-san…." Umi said.

"The key should be in her past, right? Maybe she has a past where she got abused like that? You heard about it?" Maki said.

"No… don't think so… or…not sure, actually. Honoka only knows a few parts… and I don't hear her mentioning it…" Umi said.

"Rin also only knows about a few parts… and she isn't mentioning it too…" Maki said.

Then suddenly they both could hear someone hitting someone again, they turned to Eli and Nozomi.

Nozomi is already sitting on top of Eli, Eli trying to shield herself with her arms…Nozomi keeps trying to get a clear aiming to hit her.

"AH! They're going at it again!" Umi and Maki said,

"Minami-san! They're at it again!" Umi and Maki shouted together.

Then electric sparks coming up again before—….

* * *

Toujou's resident, living room;

Nozomi is in front of a mirror that she dragged out, she is trying to tidy her hair while Eli is on the back, holding her mechanic arm,

_Damn it…. the electricity stinging in my arm….next time I go for maintenance, I should just ask them to remove the feeler function….it started to be useless._

Eli thought,

_Lucky you, you only got electrocuted for a while…_

Eli glanced at Nozomi. She could see some part of her hair still affected by the electrocution. Nozomi seems to be very annoyed with it since it's somewhat hard to tidy up.

_Hmmm…._

Eli turned her sight to the small fairy that flying above them. It's an electricity fairy that Kotori summoned to watch over them.

_Well, we promised to not fight, to not rape and to not use violence on each other, right? We didn't say to not pull a prank against each other._

Eli smiled mischievously.

She peeled off her rubber skin, then approaching Nozomi who've been annoyed with her messy hair.

"What are you doing…? I don't have time for you… We'll be late to school." Nozomi asked coldly.

"I just realized…" Eli smiled,

"You have a beautiful hair…" Eli strokes her hair gently.

Nozomi blushed slightly.

"I'm just saying, ok? I didn't mean to make you do anything for me…" Eli said with her seductive whisper as she began to travel her mechanic hand to Nozomi's hand. Eli approach her closer,

"…Maybe having such a cute and beautiful enemy like you isn't bad at all…" Eli whispered to her ear.

Nozomi swears she has never heard such a sexy voice whispered to her ear, then the way Eli looks very close to her—from the reflection that she see in the mirror, it just somewhat made her feel tense. Then the way Eli strokes her cold mechanic hand touches her gently…

Nozomi quickly shoved Eli away,

"What are you doing?! Idiot!" Nozomi yelled,

The fairy began to spark as a warning,

Nozomi and Eli turned at it. Then they turned at each other again— Nozomi's hair now is a big mess.

Eli giggled,

"Have you ever heard of static electricity?" Eli asked mockingly.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow and she turned at the mirror…

Eli began to laugh madly as Nozomi began to scream in frustration.

* * *

Kotori's workshop, afternoon;

Kotori is currently busy with mixing something in her cauldron.

Suddenly, Umi and Honoka came in with a few bags on their shoulder,

"Kotori-chan! I'm home!" Honoka said.

"Minami-san! I'm back!" Umi said.

"Ah, Honoka-chan! Sonoda-san…" Kotori greeted them as she turns off the cauldron.

"Ehh…it's been a few days, you two should start calling each other name…" Honoka said.

"Huh?" Umi flustered.

"Kotori-chan! You should call her Umi-chan!" Honoka said.

"I-I can?" Kotori asked as she blushed slightly.

"Yes, you may, Minami-san…" Umi said.

"Then….please call me Kotori, U…Umi-chan!" Kotori said shyly and cutely.

Umi blushed madly as she heard it.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes! K-K-Kotori!" Umi said stiffly.

"W-Why are you nervous? I-It…It just name…" Kotori said.

"I…I don't know! B-B-but, Ahh!" Umi quickly turn her face away.

"No…warrior don't get embarrassed by something like this…" Umi tried to calm herself down.

"Alright….compose yourself then—…." Umi turned around,

"—Because—!"

"Whaaahh! Honoka-chan! You're amazing! These truffles are really high-quality!" Kotori appreciated.

"Hehe! I know right! My nose is still working perfectly!" Honoka said proudly.

Umi staring at them in awe.

"Hmmmm! These will be a good dinner…. Good work! Honoka-chan!" Kotori said,

Honoka offered her head to Kotori, Kotori giggled and pat her head.

Umi turned around again,

"Oh No…how could I forgot one essence of a warrior, I should've brought something impressive…" Umi whispered,

"By the way, Umi-chan…" Kotori said.

Umi turned at her,

"Yes?"

"You haven't told me about Ayase-san…" Kotori said.

Umi remained quiet,

"I noticed that there's a black rubber skin attached on her body, what is it exactly?" Kotori asked.

Umi began to feel flustered.

"I…I don't know…." Umi said as she turned her eyes away.

"Is that supposed to be kept as a secret…?" Kotori asked.

Umi nodded slightly,

"I'm sorry… but, she is our comrade… and… I promised… so, I don't want to tell…" Umi replied.

Kotori nodded,

"I see… then I'll wait until it's really something crucial…" Kotori said.

"Yes… Thank you…" Umi replied.

"Ok, so….Now… Umi-chan, Honoka-chan… I have something new— will you test it out for me?" Kotori asked.

"Yes! Of course!" Honoka said.

"Will do!" Umi said quickly after Honoka agreed.

Then they're quiet for a moment,

"W-wait-wait!? What is this something?!" Umi said.

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, afternoon;

Maki is sitting next to the window as she watches over the village. She could see Nozomi and Eli finally got out and heading to the stable,

"Wow… that takes really long to prepare to school… is she really a teacher, I wonder?" Maki said to herself.

Then she could see them riding on the same horse, Nozomi is on the front, controlling the horse while Eli is on the back, facing another way and crossing her arm.

"That looks goofy… Eli… why do you even agreed to do that…" Maki sighed.

"I wonder too-nya…." Rin said

Maki remained quiet for a moment,

"What the hell?! Why are you even here?!" Maki yelled.

"I've been here from long ago-nya…." Rin said.

"What are you doing here?!" Maki yelled.

"I was just here to tell you the lunch is ready-nya… but you seem busy talking to yourself… so I waited-nya…" Rin said.

"Oh…."

"Hehe, so when you will tell me about this Ayase Eli-chan nya?" Rin asked.

"Huh… well…I don't know…I can't just tell it…. Umi said it's supposed to be a secret…" Maki said.

"Why is it a secret? Is it bad-nya?" Rin asked.

"It's not bad… it's just that…. uh…I don't know…. honestly….she just told me to not tell anyone…" Maki said.

"Hnn…if someone tell you to jump off a cliff, are you going to do that-nya?" Rin asked.

"Huh? Of course not… it's stupid…" Maki said.

"Then why are you keeping it a secret if you don't know why-nya?"

"Eh—It's just...this kind of thing, called friendship… I respect both of my seniors, ok?" Maki said.

"Just respect? What about love-nya?" Rin asked.

"Hell, no, I can't never see those two as my partner… they're like…huh…sisters? Or…actually… no... more like brothers…" Maki said.

"Love doesn't have to be about partners-nya… it could be about family, or friendship! Like… I love Kayo-chin! Do you love Kayo-chin too-nya?" Rin said.

"Huh? Yeah… I love her too, she is very loveable…" Maki said.

"Then we're rivals nya…" Rin said.

"Ok…"

Then they remained quiet for a moment.

"The heck?! I thought you said it's about friendship?!" Maki yelled.

Rin chuckled.

"Well it is… what about Niko-chan-nya?" Rin asked.

"Well, she is a good chef…"

"Then you love Niko-chan?"

"Yeah I guess…"

"Ok, you can have her…"

"Yeah thanks…"

Then they remained quiet for a moment again….

"Where the hell you are leading to damn it?!" Maki yelled.

Rin laughed.

"You fell for it-nya!" Rin said playfully.

"What even the point of this conversation, sheesh!" Maki yelled.

"Ufufufu— I just wondering nya, you seem to be the friendliest one among three of you-nya…" Rin said.

"Hell..I'm not, ok? I'm hot headed…." Maki said.

"Really-nya? Tell me about yourself-nya…"

"As what you already know, I'm from Terra. My family owns a clinic and it's the only one clinic there because we don't have space for another. Sure we have a few first aids post, but those are ours too— so to put it simply, we are the one who runs the health condition in Terra…"

"Whoah…so you're an important person-nya…" Rin said.

"Of course I am... hell, everyone knows me, then with my title as an Assassin, plus Eli that always do the cold blooded kill, causing my name to become wider than what it supposed to be— I kept getting a job offer from a lot of space organization… but I refuse them all…" Maki said.

"Why? Getting a job early is good, right-nya?"

"The problem is, Assassinating person is just not my passion... and back then I was really terrible at this, I always doubt when killing my target. I often get staggered and close to dying…."

"Eh? Why does it sound dangerous-nya? Can't you choose to not fight?" Rin asked.

"That's where the problem is…. we all can't choose… we have to learn how to fight… and we're all forced to jump into the real battle field as soon as we are able to hold a weapon…" Maki replied.

"Then… are everyone in your place knows how to fight-nya..?" Rin asked.

"The living one, yes… when you're joining the school, you're simply in those years where everything in your head is all about survive or not survive, then once you're graduated, you'll be set free… that's why I'm aiming to get to one team with those two…" Maki said.

"You mean, Eli-chan and Umi-chan-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, those two are very popular and they always ranked at top. If I could fit in their team, I'll be surely secured and graduated smoothly…" Maki said.

"But, wouldn't they graduate first-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, but Eli is certainly going to be in the military, she would be there when we're doing our mission— if Eli acknowledge me, she will protects me since it's her job as vanguard… and to be honest, that was the first reason why I tried to get close to her… I never liked her before…" Maki replied.

Rin remained quiet to listen.

"The first time I was pointed to join the dorm in the same room with those two, I was really happy— and I'm glad that Umi was there before me so that at least there's someone with heart in it… then about Eli…."

Maki sighed,

"She is a cold blooded murderer, she is pain in the ass, her words are harsh….I never thought I'll have to deal with a person like her to get my survival certificate…and I often attempted to try to make her die in battlefield— but…she is just not a person to die in battlefield…nor living among us..."

"…those thought kept in my mind for long, until I realized… I was wrong about her… she is the most protective person I ever know to be existed… and I'm sort of regretting my action back then…" Maki said.

"…then the worst part of my feeling back then is when I realize— Eli is actually a funny person… she also knows how to be kind… or how to act like an idiot. It just that her heart is closed and it's impossible to open her heart before she acknowledged you…"

Rin nodded,

"I see… but, is there anything else behind her cold heart-nya?" Rin asked.

"To tell you the truth… that's where the secret start… I can't tell you about that…" Maki replied.

"Awww…you're not falling for that-nya…." Rin said as she pouts.

"Eh? What are you even trying to make me say? I told you I can't tell you about it…"

Rin pouts harder,

"Ah-well… that's fine…I'll try again later-nya…" Rin said.

"You're weird, you know that? Weirder than Umi…" Maki said.

"Just weird-nya? But I love you, Maki-chan!" Rin said playfully.

Maki blushed madly…

"T-The hell?! You're saying it right on my face…" Maki yelled.

"Yup…hehe…do you love me Maki-chan?" RIn asked.

"J-Just….stop that already! Sheesh! You're confusing me!"

* * *

The School of magic, afternoon;

Eli and Nozomi reached the school, Eli is holding something in her right arm— and they're sneaking to the headmaster room.

"…hurry up, you sloth. I can't hold this fairy forever!" Eli said. The fairy is being very aggressive and keeps appearing some sparks out of itself.

"Just shut the hell up, idiot, we're already lucky that Kotori have no schedule today, and I don't have one too in the morning… else I'll make you wait longer…" Nozomi said as she tried to search for something.

"Who cares about your class— just give me a jar, then my job, so I have an excuse to get off your face…" Eli said.

"Junk-woman, you surely know nothing about patience and magic— I have to get the right jar so that fairy can't shock us anymore… Kotori-chan's familiar is pretty strong, you know… and they last pretty long too… that's why people often call her the thunder bird…" Nozomi said as she keeps looking.

"Skip your explanation…Just…Hurry up! She's trying to sting me! If I let her go, she will totally going to shock us for doing this to her…"

Nozomi sighed heavily before she took one jar then opened it.

"Here you go, put that little bitch here…" Nozomi said as she offered the empty jar.

Eli remained quiet for a moment, then she placed her right hand to Nozomi's cheek.

"What the fuck?!" Nozomi complained as she got slightly stung by the sparks from the fairy in Eli's hand.

Eli remained quiet and placed the fairy inside the jar and quickly closed it tight.

"I admit your friend's lecture is a little too long and pointless, but guess what?" Eli placed the jar gently on the table.

"There's a point where I agree with her….that face and voice of yours— would be better if you stop talking like a thug…" Eli said.

Nozomi blushed slightly.

"What do you know about me?!" Nozomi yelled.

"Nothing— but I'm saying it because I think so…" Eli said.

Nozomi's blush getting redder,

"Idiot… you have no right to say that…" Nozomi said.

"I have, these lips are mine…not yours…" Eli said.

Nozomi turned her eyes away.

"You don't know what I've been through…" Nozomi said as she frowns,

"Who cares about that anyway… That's my opinion about you… Toujou Nozomi…." Eli said.

Nozomi clenched her fist,

"That's not fair, you know my name… and you just used it to humiliate me…" Nozomi said— still with her face all red,

"Ayase Eli…" Eli said.

Nozomi cringed,

"That name is too good for a junk like you…" Nozomi said.

"Then call me something else—whatever suits you…" Eli replied.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment…

"I'll think of a name… but I'll stick with Ayase now…" Nozomi said.

"Then I'll call you Toujou…"

"No…. don't ever call me… especially my family name…" Nozomi cuts in.

Eli sighed,

"Then I'll go with Nozomi, if it less bothering you…"

"I said, don't call…." Nozomi frowned,

Eli didn't make a reply to it.

The room becomes awkwardly quiet, Nozomi couldn't say another words— her face is still all red while Eli is waiting for Nozomi to say something.

"Let's go to classroom, you're my assistant from now on, ok?" Nozomi said.

"Understood…." Eli replied.

"Don't screw up…." Nozomi said—somewhat a little shyly.

Eli smirked at her.

"Well, don't screw me up…"

* * *

**There~**

**and sorry if there's so much errors lately, I've been a little sick and when writing this, I often got a little dizzy and went to bed from time to time. But if you see me doing errors, just tell me right away so I can fix it.**

**But I'm doing my best to keep updating and to make the FF understandable! **

**See you next chapter!**


	5. Potion of хорошo!

**K, here is next chapter. I can't make much today, still a little sick, but I'll try to keep on update as promised!**

**Thanks for caring about me too! But I...just got excited when writing these too. but..yeah, ok, might gonna take a while for the next chapter to update since I'll really gonna rest.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! Love it!**

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, afternoon;

Kotori, Umi, Honoka, Rin, Niko, Hanayo and Maki sitting around the lobby,

"So…what is this…thing you want to talk with us…" Niko said.

"Hehe, well..I just found something— it's called censoring potion!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"Censoring potion? That sounds very useless…" Niko said.

"Hmmm..not that useless, I mean, I know where she wants to go with this…" Hanayo said.

"Huh? Really? Then what is it actually for…?" Niko asked.

"I'm guessing you're trying to do something about those two…" Maki said.

"Bin-pong! You're absolutely correct! Nishikino-san!" Kotori said.

"Heh, that was an easy guess…" Maki said.

"Hmmph, only because that's the only problem you have in your head…" Niko said.

"What? you sounds like you've a lot of problem…" Maki said.

"Of course, I'm one of the oldest after all… I have a lot of responsibilities…" Niko said.

"Heh— you know that's not a compliment, it means that you're not capable of what you're supposed to do…" Maki said.

"The heck?! How dare you?!" Niko yelled.

"Ssssh! Let's just hear out the explanation-nya…" Rin said.

"Oh, well, ok, so… this censoring thing works like, we tell the potions what we don't want the drinker do then also telling them how we want the drinker do instead… I tried it on Honoka-chan and Umi-chan, but there's no effect to them, so… I wonder if there's anyone want to help me with it…" Kotori explained.

"Huh? Still a little confusing, but alright, I'll try it…" Niko said.

"Thank you, Niko-chan!" Kotori said as she placed the potions.

"Alright, so… I don't want the drinker to say: E-F-G!" Kotori said to the potions,

"Then, Because you're kind, Niko-chan, I'll let you choose what you want to do instead!"

"Hmm..ok, I'll go with—Niko-Niko-Niiiii!" Niko said as she danced cutely.

"Ok! Drink it now!" Kotori said.

Niko took the potion and drink it.

Suddenly, a pair of bunny ear appeared.

"W-what the heck?! The hell is this?!" Niko surprised as she see it.

"Hehe, it just to indicate that you're in effect or not…" Kotori said.

"W-when will you stop adding useless effect?! Damn it!" Niko yelled.

"Hmm…. Let's just go to the main thing, ok? Say A-B-C-D-E-F-G!" Kotori said.

"Fine… A-B-C-D-Niko-Niko-niii!" Niko danced.

"Whoah! It works!" Niko said.

"Eh? What…? That's ridiculous…. Let me try it…" Maki said.

"Ok, I have plenty so here…" Kotori placed another.

"Ah! Ah! I'll do the setting-nya!" Rin said.

"Huh? Okay… don't be too ridiculous, ok?" Maki said.

"Ok! Hmm… Whenever Maki-chan look at me— make her say; Maki-chan is cuteeee—! Ka-ki-ku-ke-ko-nya!" Rin posed like a cat.

"Huh? What's that, it's ridiculous!" Maki said.

"Just drink it…" Niko said.

"Yeah…" Honoka said.

Maki remained quiet for a moment and she decided to drink it anyway,

"I don't feel anything…" Maki said.

Then a pair of panther ears appeared.

"W-wha! Something is growing in my pants!" Maki said.

"Should be the tail…" Kotori said.

"I wonder why is it a panther now…" Umi said.

"Hmm...it's randomized… I guess…" Kotori said.

"Oh…."

"W-why is this kind of thing anyway?!" Maki yelled.

"I told you just to keep track about if you're still effect or not…"Kotori said.

"It's useless!" Maki yelled.

"Maki-chan! look at Rin-nya!" Rin said, Maki turned to her,

"G-gh! Maki-chan is cuteeee—! Ka-ki-ku-ke-ko-nya!" Maki posed like a cat.

"W-whoaaa! It works!" Everyone said.

Maki quickly turn away from Rin with blushing face.

"W-what the hell is this?!" Maki protested,

"Hmm…that's amazing, Rin-chan, you showed me that the effect isn't limited to 'do not do' and 'instead'…." Kotori said.

"Hehe, I know right!" Rin said.

"But that also tell us that it will definitely work good on those two…" Hanayo said.

"Yeah!" Honoka said.

"Eh— we still have a problem though, how do we make them drink it and what we should tell to the potions?" Umi asked.

"ah—uhm….well…" Everyone began to think.

* * *

The School of Magic—classroom, afternoon;

Nozomi walks around the class, watching over the students as they do their assignment, Eli standing near the window as she keep watching over the students as well.

As Nozomi passed through a few students, they began to glance into each other—carefully attempting to pass a note. Eli noticed it and she coughed slightly—taking Nozomi's attention. Nozomi quickly turned around to see her—and that made the students panic.

"What's that?" Nozomi asked clearly.

The students trying to prevent eye contact...

"Hey—I'm asking you, what is that?" Nozomi asked to the student.

The student remained quiet.

"Are you sick? Did you lost your voice? The last time I heard your voice is when you shouted like a monkey losing a banana... just an hour ago…" Nozomi began to approach the student.

Still no response from the student, Nozomi frowned and she quickly snatched the note. She opened the note,

_Hey, don't you think Nozomi-sensei looks pretty today?_

_Ye-uh.. and she is coming with an assistant, not sure if that person is a man or woman…right arm is a little bigger than the left one. They look somewhat charming together by the way…_

_ Probably a guy then, or a lesbian… Nozomi-sensei is a lesbian?_

_Dude, lesbian or not, please don't let her breed. One Nozomi-sensei is enough._

_The guy looks hot. I'm screaming inside!_

_That's a guy? Kind of beautiful though..._

_Then girl? Man, I wouldn't want to fall to the trap… I need to confirm first, ok?_

_Should check around the crotch…_

_You do it, man, if she actually has it… I'll be doomed._

_Guys….that probably a woman guys…boobs, damn it. Are you all blind?_

_Girl… I have boobs too and I'm a guy…_

_No one asking you, Tweedledum!_

_ I haven't heard him or her talking…_

_I imagine it will be sexy, right?_

_Maybe? would be great if his or her voice is sexy_

_Think they've fucked?_

And the note ended there.

Nozomi crumpled it and she threw it down to the ground angrily.

"All of you! Get out from this very room! No one get any grade from this assignment!" Nozomi yelled.

Eli sighed as she watches the students began to walk out from the class, grumbling about something. Nozomi clenched her fist and she smacks one of the tables...

"Insolents kids… talking behind my back…" Nozomi said.

Eli approached her and pick up the crumpled note. She reads it for a few second and threw it to the garbage.

"You're mad from that kind of thing?" Eli asked.

"What about you? Are you not angry to be talked behind your back?" Nozomi yelled.

"Why should I? That's their right… not mine." Eli replied.

"This is why I hate you, you don't understand me at all…" Nozomi pointed her finger at Eli.

"How would I understand you if you are angry pointlessly? If you want to be angry—then at least make yourself clear!"

"Are you an expert of being angry?! You have no right to say that!"

"Oh I am, because if you ask me now why am I angry, I can answer it…"

"Then prove it to those insolent students…"

"No, I'm angry at you—not them…" Eli said.

Nozomi surprised as she heard it.

"Why would you be angry at me? The fuck are—…"

Eli quickly slapped her with her left hand.

"—Oh?! You're using violence at me… You want your companion to die?!" Nozomi yelled.

"Go on… Go on try to kill them— I bet your friends are going to protect them…. no… are they even your friends?" Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet.

"See? You don't know…. right? Because you've never felt secure— even when they're around you…" Eli continued.

"You don't know anything about me or them!" Nozomi yelled.

"I don't…. But I really know about myself…" Eli said.

"What are you even talking about— idiot?! You and I are two different person and—…." Nozomi paused.

Eli remained quiet as she glares to her.

Nozomi turn her face away….

Eli sighed,

"Are we really?" Eli asked.

"Idiot, you already know the answer before you're asking it…right?" Nozomi said.

"Do you think that so? I get a feeling you've realized it sooner before I do…" Eli asked again.

Nozomi bit her lip,

"That's why you're picking on me, right?" Eli said.

"You still understand nothing…" Nozomi frowned.

"Then explain…" Eli said. Her blue eyes focusing on hers, Nozomi began to blush before she charged wind balls and shoved Eli away roughly. Eli knocked away all the way to the wall.

"And you think it will be that easy?!" Nozomi yelled.

Eli woke up carefully,

"Listen up, you ass, I don't care about how hot and charming you are— but we are not the same, and I'll prove you that tomorrow!" Nozomi yelled again before she left.

_Why does it have to be tomorrow? This isn't homework._

Eli thought as she watches her leaving angrily.

_….but at least you're cute when doing that…_

* * *

The village, night time;

Umi sighed weakly, Maki is next to her, carrying two cup of hot chocolate milks on a tray and two boxes of food. They're standing in front of Nozomi's house.

"So… why are we the one who deliver this…?" Maki said.

"Because it's Eli….?" Umi said.

"I guess so…but…" Maki turned to a side, Hanayo, Rin, Niko, Kotori, and Honoka giving them a thumb up.

"I wish one of them just here to deal with Nozomi…" Maki said.

"Uh…well…we can do this, come on, Maki…" Umi said.

Maki sighed,

"Alright…let's do this…" Maki said before Umi decided to knock the door politely.

Nozomi opened it, her face is really angry and gloom at the moment,

"Good evening…." Umi said politely.

"What?" Nozomi replied rudely.

"W-we…we want to send dinner for you and Eli…" Maki said.

Nozomi glanced at the trays.

"Please take it…" Umi gestured politely.

Nozomi sighed before she decided to accept it and closed the door without words.

"T-that's it…?" Maki said.

"Yeah… what do we expect anyway…" Umi sighed.

Then suddenly the door opened slightly again.

Nozomi is peeking out,

Umi and Maki staring at her,

"…Thank you…." Nozomi said with a big smile before she closed the door roughly.

"T-T-that was…." Umi widen her eyes.

"S-S-Scary!" Umi and Maki said before they ran to the others.

"W-w-what happen?!" The others asked.

"S-Sh-She said thank you! With a big smile!" Maki said.

And the other screamed in fear,

"Like this— Thank you…." Umi imitated Nozomi's thank you.

And the other screams again in a worse horror.

* * *

Toujou's residence, night time;

Eli is currently cleaning up the laundries, then she found the amulet still unmoved from the place where she found it before. Eli sighed weakly.

_This woman… never touch this area…_

Eli picks the amulet.

_How are you even getting clean clothes? Did you use magic or sort of it?_

Eli said in her mind as she placed the dirty clothes on the washing machine that she fixed a while back. As she waits for the water to fill up the machine, Eli taking a moment to look at the amulet again— opening it up to see a picture of the little girl that she knew.

Suddenly, Nozomi showed up,

"Ayase…" she called her,

Eli turned her sight to her,

"Your friends just sent you dinner… you should go have it…." Nozomi said—somewhat shyly.

"Will do…" Eli replied.

Nozomi is about to leave, but…

"Hey…" Eli called.

Nozomi turn her sight at her,

"Is this you?" Eli asked as she showed the amulet,

"Yes— throw that away when you're done laughing at that junk…." Nozomi replied before she left.

Eli remained quiet. She turned her sight again back to the amulet.

_You'll regret throwing this away, you know?_

Eli thought.

She sighed weakly before she open half of her shirt, peeling off her rubber skin and opened the storage in her forearm— she placed the amulet inside it.

_Yup, there, since you're a junk too anyway… it's a junk inside a junk…_

Eli smiled faintly.

* * *

After a while,

Eli finally went to the dining room to have her dinner, unexpectedly, Nozomi is waiting her there.

"You're slow… your hot chocolate has turned cold…" Nozomi said as she turned her eyes away.

"Yours too…" Eli replied.

"It's your fault…" Nozomi replied— her face slightly blushed.

"You can always eat before me…" Eli said.

"I'm not you…" Nozomi replied again.

Eli sighed weakly as she approaches the dining table. She sat on her seat— facing to Nozomi.

"Let's eat…." Nozomi said shyly before she began to eat.

Eli remained quiet as she also started to eat.

"No reply? Such an impolite person you are!" Nozomi said—somewhat teasingly.

Eli remained quiet for a moment…

"…let's eat…" Eli said.

"See? This is why we are different..." Nozomi said.

Eli didn't make a respond for a moment. They keep on eating their meal until Eli decided on what she wants to say about it,

"I thought your schedule to be different starts tomorrow…" Eli said.

"What are you saying, I've been different— we never be the same kind of person…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed weakly and she thought,

_You're really something you know that…._

Nozomi giggled as she sees Eli sighing.

"I'm the eldest of this village, I'm very caring, motherly, wise, gentle, responsible and awesome, got it?"

Eli nodded slightly as she continues eating. Nozomi secretly smiled sweetly at her.

* * *

An hour passed,

They finally finished with their meal, Eli is about to drink her chocolate milk—but suddenly, Nozomi snatched it off her.

Eli surprised,

"It's not going to enjoyable if you're drinking cold milk, I'll heat that up for you…" Nozomi said as she poured the chocolate milk to a pot along with her chocolate milk.

Eli remained quiet as she watches her doing it.

"Where's your thank you?" Nozomi asked—somewhat teasingly.

Eli chuckled,

"Thanks…" she said gently.

"You have to reply me more often… you owe me a lot of things so you have to entertain me more often too…." Nozomi said as she calmly wait for the milk to be heated up— she added a small glass of water too on it.

"If you want a singer or a musician, you should ask my junior— Maki, she loves music in general…" Eli said.

"You can always read me some poem… or something…" Nozomi said.

"That, you can always ask my other junior, Umi, she is good at literature and she loves it too…" Eli replied.

"Then what you can do…?" Nozomi asked.

"Killing someone…. That's the best thing I can do…" Eli replied.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment,

"That's a lie, isn't it? You must be capable of doing something…. As a human being, I mean, or at least half junk… or quarter…" Nozomi replied.

"Maybe I'm just doesn't fit to be called as human anymore…" Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment again, then she sighed.

"Whatever… You can always be all gloomy yourself— none of my business." Nozomi said.

"You should be happy, because that's what makes us different…." Eli said.

Nozomi once again paused. She just rolled her eyes and turn off the stove, pouring the hot chocolate to the cups.

"We are always different, no matter what—" Nozomi took one cup of the hot chocolate but,

"—Ah!" she dropped it as she could feel the burn on her hand.

Eli remained quiet to it, Nozomi frowned at Eli,

"Go on, laugh at me. I'm such a clumsy girl who doesn't know my way around the kitchen!" Nozomi yelled, her face is all red.

Eli still quiet,

"Why are you quiet… if you want to laugh, go on… this is how I look like…" Nozomi said.

Eli still doesn't make a response.

"Sheesh, what am I doing, talking to a junk…. How stupid…" Nozomi said madly as she quickly took a cloth and as she was about to crouch to clean up the mess sloppily— Eli grabs her hand gently.

Nozomi turn her sight at her. Eli took the cloth and began to clean up the mess gently. Nozomi keep her eyes on her,

"…when you're cleaning up something, you have to understand what materials you're cleaning and what are you using, else, it just won't do it… also, not to forget about pattern…" Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet as she still glued her eyes to Eli.

They both are quiet for a while until Eli finished with the cleaning and started to wash the cloth. Then she returned again to where the mess was and clean it up once again with the wet cloth,

"Chocolate milk contain sugar, so you have to use water as well— else, it will leave some sticky remains… I'm not sure about this but I heard if you do it on earth, you'll be certainly call some ants and it will be annoying…" Eli continued.

"You've never seen ants?" Nozomi asked,

"I have… from our biology class. We're learning about a lot of creatures— also about their basic understanding…. There also some samples of them in laboratory, but they're just imitation of the real one…" Eli replied as she took a dry cloth to dry the wet floor.

"Sounds pathetic…"

"Honestly, it is… they're trying so hard to copy what existed on earth… even, they projected the view of earth in our windows… and it will be a lie if I said I don't like looking at it…" Eli said.

"Why are you agreed with me…"

"Because I am…."

"You know I want to change because I don't want to be the same like you…"

"What's the point? I'll be leaving in one month and a half… just like our deal…"

"Because I'm not you…."

"You're Toujou Nozomi, I'm Ayase Eli. We are two different person— what else do you want?" Eli said.

"Are you trying to play with your wit again?!"

"That's not the point! My point is, instead of trying to be always different with me and spinning around to find excuses, why don't you try to find about how you truly want to be? Maybe it's true that I have no idea about how you become so violent and cold— but I really know about what I want to tell to a person like you…." Eli said.

Nozomi clenched her fist, then she pulled her arm,

"I told you— you don't understand about me at all!" Nozomi punched Eli's face on her left cheek.

Eli touched her cheek,

"Ah—!I did it again…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed weakly.

"Old habits die hard…isn't it?" Eli said.

Nozomi surprised to hear it.

"We agreed on that…." Nozomi replied as she blushes slightly.

And the room becomes quiet for a moment as their eyes turn away from each other.

Nozomi glanced at the hot chocolate milk, she shoved it slightly to Eli, Eli noticed it,

"That's yours…" Nozomi said.

Eli turned at it and picks it up with her right hand. She began to blow it gently,

"I dropped mine so—…" Nozomi paused as Eli suddenly offered it to her.

"Chocolate milk is amazing, would be bad if you miss the chance to enjoy it…" Eli said.

Nozomi's blush getting redder, she couldn't help herself to not accept the offer. The cup is still too hot for her, so Eli keep on holding it as Nozomi blow on it herself until it's warm enough for her to drink it.

After a half of the cup, Nozomi shoved Eli's hand away gently,

"I'm done… the other half is yours…" Nozomi said.

Eli smiled faintly before she drinks the now warm chocolate milk carefully.

Nozomi pouts cutely at her,

"This isn't fair… you're being all sweet to me…" Nozomi said.

And as she said it, a pair of ear grew on her— and Nozomi could feel something growing in her skirt.

"Ah—!" Nozomi could feel something in her skirt.

Eli noticed it and she raised her eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you?" Eli asked.

"This—this is…." Nozomi looks very annoyed. She pulled out the tail out of her skirt.

Eli gets very flustered.

"What the—…." And before Nozomi could finish her words…

"—Harasho yan!" Nozomi suddenly posed cutely.

"Huh?!" Eli gets more flustered.

"What the—Harasho-yan! Happen here?!" Nozomi said with a cute pose again.

Eli swears she is very lost.

"Harasho-yan! Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again and again.

"Nozomi, are you ok?" Eli asked.

"I told you to not to call my—Harasho-yan name!" Nozomi yelled.

"I…I know it's a good name, but… why are you saying Harasho, can you speak Russian too or just happen to know?" Eli asked.

"I don't know what Harasho is… I just suddenly say it instead of—Harasho-yan!" Nozomi replied, still with cute pose.

Eli tilts her head.

"This must be your —Harasho-yan!"

"Uh? Nozomi? Are you really okay?" Eli asked.

"Don't talk to me!" Nozomi yelled.

Eli still confused.

"Ah, either way, Nozomi, how are you growing that raccoon ears and tail?" Eli asked.

"How do I even know?!" Nozomi yelled.

Eli turned to the chocolate milk— then she drank the whole thing. She could feel something growing in her pants and head. Eli put down the cup and pulled her tail out,

"Harasho…" Eli said as she look into her tail and flapping her ears.

"Hah, you're a fox! I knew it! You're such a—Harasho-yan! Fox!"

Eli keeps staring at Nozomi.

"Harasho—yan?!" Nozomi posed cutely again.

Eli started to giggle,

"The angrier you are, the cuter you look…" Eli said.

Nozomi blushed madly.

Eli knows Nozomi is about to hit her, but suddenly,

"Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again. Eli couldn't resist herself to not look at how Nozomi's breast jiggled as she did it.

_Ahh… That's cute…and she seems to do it every time she is trying to abuse me._

Eli smiled.

"Why are you smiling?!" Nozomi yelled at her.

Eli remained quiet, she just tried to approach her closer, Nozomi knows something is going to be wrong with the smile that Eli gives,

"Honestly, I never liked any girls at all…nor interested to touch them… but you…you're so cute… you made me want to snuggle you…" Eli said as she walks to her as she keeps moving backward.

"W-what?! What the—harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again.

Nozomi tried to hit her again but..

"Harasho-yan!" she posed cutely again instead.

Eli smiled wider and she began to unbutton her shirt.

"That's really cute, you can't hit me, can you?" Eli said as she keeps moving.

"Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again.

Eli giggled,

"See? I hope you don't mind if I enjoy tonight a little— it's just some touches, we both are girls…and none of us will be pregnant from doing so…" Eli said before she licked her own lips.

"Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again, but Eli knows she is panic.

"See? You're really cute… you're turning me on…" Eli leaned her body closer as Nozomi stuck between her and the wall,

"Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely again.

Eli closing up her gap with Nozomi, she is about to start kissing her, but—

"Harasho-yan!" Eli said as she suddenly poses cutely.

Nozomi flustered for a moment,

"Hah! You can't do that too!" Nozomi said mockingly.

_Darn it, it was a good chance. But I can't just show that if I can't do it…_

Eli said in her mind.

"It was just a joke to scare you anyway…" Eli said.

"Really? I get a feeling it wasn't a joke… you want me, right?" Nozomi said.

"It was— you just taking it too seriously… " Eli said as she turns and walks away from her, fixing her shirt.

"You just don't want to admit that you're a rapist inside…" Nozomi said.

Eli remained quiet for a moment,

"Nah— I'm just trying to find a reason to do that cute pose. Because after all, I'm still a lot cuter than you…" Eli said.

"What are you saying?!"

"I'm cuter than you…" Eli said.

"No! I am cuter than you!"

"Then, check this out…"

Eli turns herself to her,

"Clever and cute—…" Eli spins her pointing finger,

"—Elichika! Harasho!" Eli winked at Nozomi as she made a finger gun that pointed at her.

Nozomi blushed, then she frowned and shook her head,

"I can do better! Check me out…!"

Nozomi took a deep breath.

"Nozomi power, plenty injection—…" Nozomi spins her pointing finger,

"—Hyper shoot!" Nozomi made two finger gun pointing at Eli.

Eli remained quiet.

"Eat it!" Nozomi pouts.

"Oh?"

"When I said that, you have to eat it! Sheesh! Such a spoilsport you are! This is why I'm cuter than you!"

"What?!"

"Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely.

"See? I'm cuter than you!" Nozomi said.

"I'm confused, but anyway…" Eli took a deep breath,

"Harasho…" Eli winked at Nozomi again.

"That looks more sexy than cute, you idiot! What is harasho anyway?! Why am I keep saying it?! This is all your fault!"

"My fault?! I don't even have idea about it!"

"The chocolate milk! It must be it!" Nozomi yelled.

"Then that would be your friend's doing! Not me! This totally a work of magic!"

"How does she even know what harasho is anyway?!"

"No idea! Don't ask me! What about —yan? I don't know what —yan is!"

"It just a seasoning!"

"What on shattering earth is a 'seasoning' I don't understand!"

"Then you haven't answered me what Harasho is!"

"It means, 'Good!' in Russian!"

"See? This is why I said it's your doing!"

"What?!"

"Harasho-yan!"

And the two continue to argue.

* * *

Outside,

Umi, Maki, Hanayo, Kotori, Rin, Honoka, and Niko peeking through the windows,

"Wow…that was..unexpected…. how could the two potions effect mixed like that?" Niko said.

"They mixed the chocolate milk…." Honoka said.

"But I'm glad we put the 'no rape' things, I didn't know Eli would be up for something like that…" Umi said.

"Heh—You know what? I've been doubting myself about this but, I often caught Eli checking on female's breast and she seems to be interested on cute girls…but since most of cute girls in Terra have small breast…you know….that's why I was wondering about before..." Maki said.

"You mean, Toujou-san is just filling up her two requirements? But I thought Eli hate most girls…" Umi said.

"I believe that too—but for some reason, I think she got interested on this…Nozomi….because she isn't like the common girls in Terra? Who knows… I just don't get her sometime…" Maki said.

"I believe they're attracted to each other because it kind of feel like a mirror to themselves…" Niko said.

"Huh? That was the most illogical reason I ever heard…" Maki said.

"What? It's supposed to be like a magnet, you idiot…" Niko said.

"What the hell? Why are you suddenly saying things about magnet?" Maki said.

"A magnet is only sticking with each other when it's different, but they both are magnet! So it's kind of the same!" Niko yelled.

"I still don't understand that, what are you even talking about?!" Maki yelled.

Maki and Niko began to argue with each other.

"We got another magnet here-nya…" Rin sighed.

Then she turned to Hanayo and Kotori who've been very quiet.

"Kayo-chin? Kotori-chan?" Rin called them.

Kotori and Hanayo turned at Rin, they seems to be happy,

"Hmm?"

"What's on your mind-nya?" Rin asked.

"Ah—well…you see, Rin-chan… I've never seen Nozomi to be this lively…maybe she did sometime, with us, but then she is back to her cold-self later again…" Kotori said.

"But...the most things that I'm excited about is… how Nozomi-chan want to change herself tomorrow?" Hanayo said.

"Yup… I guess our effort isn't going waste… but, really… Ayase-san is really good… to be able to make her do that in a very short time while we just can't do it after many years…" Kotori said.

"Maybe I should've said that self-assessment is the most effective way to make a change?" Hanayo said.

"Maybe… but still, we're not sure how things will go tomorrow… maybe she couldn't do what she said today?"

"I'm just hoping for the best… and I hope Ayase-san have enough patience…."

Kotori and Hanayo sighed,

"…well… you two, I'm glad you're worried about Eli but...to be honest, we do know Eli actually have a good sense of humor herself, but… she have never been this lively too… I think this is even livelier than when she was in our room…" Umi said.

"Really?" Hanayo asked.

"Yes, really… we know when she do this kind of thing, all her wit is just gone somewhere else… but, it have never been this gone—I think this is even a minus wit…" Umi said.

"Uh…I think you're trying to say that she never been this idiot before-nya?" Rin said.

"T-that's a very polite way to say it…Sonoda-san…" Hanayo said.

"Speaking of which, I think they're up for stripping again…" Honoka said.

"Huh? T-They can?!" everyone surprised. Then they quickly peek in again,

Nozomi is already sitting on Eli while she is unbuttoning her own shirt, Eli's shirt is already unbuttoned as well.

And sparks of lightning began to charge on Kotori again.

"Oh-dear…" Umi and Maki said.

"K-Kotori-chan….?" Hanayo said nervously.

"RAPE IS NOT ALLOWED!" Kotori shouted before a big lightning appears on her,

"Whaaaa!" The others quickly make a far distance from her.

Kotori stormed in into the house,

"AYASE-SAN! NOZOMI-CHAN!" Kotori shouted at them.

Eli and Nozomi turned at Kotori,

"Didn't I tell you, rape is not allowed?!"

"S-She tricked me to do it! It's not rape if she does it on her own!" Eli and Nozomi said it together as they pointed at each other.

"How could you blame it to me?! You're such a— Harasho-yan!" Nozomi is about to hit Eli but she posed cutely instead.

"Harasho…. do that again…" Eli said.

"See? She is the one to blame!" Nozomi said.

"No! Nozomi started it! See our position, she is sitting on me!" Eli said.

"I-It's not fair if she looks like the dominance one!" Nozomi said.

"What? You don't make sense!" Eli said.

"Urrrrrrrnnnnnnnnn…both of you….." Kotori charged bigger electric sparks.

And lightning overwhelmed their house.

The others are watching from outside.

"Wow….that's….really scary…." Maki said.

"This is why we don't make Kotori-chan angry…." Niko said.

"Be glad that Kotori-chan isn't the type to be angry so quickly…" Honoka said.

"Really? I've seen it twice now…" Umi said.

"Eh…uhm…well… she just has rules and it's just unbroken…" Honoka said.

"I've heard this from someone, a person who almost never gets angry is scariest when angry…" Maki said.

"I've heard that kind of thing too-nya… " Rin said.

"Then…doesn't that make someone here the scariest?" Honoka asked.

Everyone turned at Hanayo.

"Eh? W-What? Why me?" Hanayo asked nervously.

"To be honest… I don't know about Koizumi-san…but… Umi is already very scary when angry…" Maki said.

"Huh? Me? Scary?" Umi flustered.

"Don't pretend you don't remember… but I've seen you angry… I've seen Eli angry for real too…" Maki said.

"Ah—Uhm…well… I..I think you're scary too when angry, Maki…" Umi said.

"Umi… that's not a compliment—ok? And…. I'm always angry everyday…and you two never take me seriously…" Maki sighed.

"We did?"

"Yes…did…"

"Don't worry, Maki-chan! I'll take you seriously when you're angry next time-nya!" Rin said.

"Now there, you just made fun of me…" Maki said.

"Eh? But I'm serious-nya!" Rin said.

Everyone giggled at them.

And the night goes in a fun way for them while Eli and Nozomi….

"Listen carefully, ok? Stripping your own clothes in front of others is lewd, ok? L-E-W-D!" Kotori lectured them,

"Yes….it's lewd…" Eli and Nozomi said lazily.

"And people will thought that you're raping the others, too…so it's still a rape, ok? R-A-P-E!"

"Yes…it's a rape…" Eli and Nozomi replied lazily again.

"But, Ayase did it first! She is—Harasho-yan! Tricking me!" Nozomi said.

_Harashooo…._

Eli said in her mind as she watch Nozomi's breast jiggled again when she posed cutely

"Nozomi-chan! I know you're trying to say bad words!" Kotori grunted,

"Eh?! No, I wasn't trying to say— Harasho-yan! Sheeesh! How long this thing will last?!"

* * *

**There, ok, gonna take a while for the next~ I'll rest up! I promise~**

**But still i doubt I'll stop making errors, so just tell me if you found errors, ok? wuv you~**


	6. An Important Lesson

**OK, here is next chapter.**

**I'm already fit enough, so i thought to write more. But I still have to rest a bit from time to time to get full recovery.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! Love it!**

* * *

Toujou's residence—bedroom, early morning;

Nozomi sat in front of a mirror, she keeps checking on herself—and her new style. Hair braided to the side neatly, a soft pink lip gloss, gentle colored blush, cute white blouse, elegant dark red vest, knee length dark gray vintage skirt with classical flowery pattern, black scarf, and white cotton socks.

"Ok, Nozomi…no..no… you're Non-chan from now on… you're a cute girl, mature, motherly, wise, and gentle. No more saying bad words, no more hitting peoples, and no more spitting on peoples… you are different… you are not the same like that specific woman…." Nozomi said to herself in the mirror.

She tried to do a few poses, being as beautiful as she could be, then tidy up again if there's anything that bother her.

After a while, she smiled to herself,

"There, you're beautiful after all… hmm…if only looks could kill… it'll be called as suicide." Nozomi compliment herself,

Then she tried to look around for a moment, before she turn to herself in the mirror again and

"Yan!" She posed cutely.

She giggled to herself,

"See? You're cute… you're not a piece of junk like that specific person…" Nozomi said again to herself,

She went quiet for a moment,

"You're not a junk… you're important…." She blushed as she tells herself about it.

She sighed weakly before she turn her sight to the clock— it's still about 2 hours before she have to go to school.

"Alright, let's face today calmly… do not panic, do not get upset so quickly. You can do this, Non-chan…" Nozomi said again to herself before she quickly turn to the door, then as she was about to leave, she returned again to the mirror…

"Ah-ah! Wait-wait! You have to come up with a name for that person… Ayase is too good… Eli sounds too normal…"

Nozomi began to think for a moment.

"Eli….Eri….Ericchi! Yes! That sounds good…. And cute— because I'm a cute girl after all…!" Nozomi said to herself with a sweet smile.

"Ok, I'm ready now… let's go, Non-chan!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, early morning;

Nozomi ran cutely to the dining room, passing through the living room—where Eli is still asleep on the floor with only her bra and trouser on. The 'blanket' that Nozomi gave covers half of her legs, her shirt is folded neatly and she is using it as her pillow. She really doesn't look comfortable.

Nozomi smiled wryly before she decided to approach her. She crouched and as she was about to touch her—she paused.

She turned to sofa—very clean and untouched. Nozomi remember how she humiliate her as she gave her the 'blanket' kicking and shoving her to the very corner of the room and tell her to sleep on the floor.

Nozomi sighed weakly.

"You can always use the sofa secretly, you know— why are you still so loyal to what I told you?"

Nozomi whispered, then she turn her sight to Eli's bare stomach. It looks strong and yet still feminine as its bulkiness is not exaggerated and the fat is just about in the perfect amount. Nozomi smiled gently, before she touched her stomach.

"Look—I never realized you have something fun like this…you should show me how you make this sometime, ok? Mine isn't this beautiful… I still have too much fat that I stored…" Nozomi said playfully.

Nozomi giggled before she looks at the clock again and ran to the kitchen.

Eli giggled softly as Nozomi left,

_This isn't built in a month, you know… it takes years…_

Eli said in her mind as she changed her sleeping pose,

_But I'll teach you later…._

* * *

The Toujou's dining room, early morning;

Nozomi try her best to make breakfast today— she keep reading recipe for curry from time to time. Then she keeps looking at the clock, checking her stove and rice cooker, then checking on the oven as well.

After a few minutes, Nozomi began to feel a little bored, she began to play with her spatula— then sitting on a chair, looking out through the windows, braiding the curtain, and so on until she eventually forgot about her cooking.

Black smokes coming out from the oven— Nozomi could smell it and she quickly pick it out, forgetting that she is no longer wearing glove, she dropped the hot tray as it burn her hand and Eli saw it as it happen.

Nozomi keep staring at her singed hand, Eli quickly approached her— turning off oven and stove. Eli quickly peeled off her rubber skin, then pulled Nozomi's singed hand to her cold mechanic arm.

"A…Ayase….?" Nozomi turn her sight to Eli.

Eli remained quiet.

Nozomi blushed slightly as she turns her face away, she knows there's something that make her heart started to race in panic.

"It's cold…" Nozomi said nervously.

"Feel better?" Eli asked.

Nozomi's blush getting redder,

"Yes…." She said weakly.

"Harasho…" Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet.

Eli released her hand and examines it,

"It's nothing serious, I'm glad you released it quickly…" Eli said as she smiled gently to her.

Nozomi's heart still races quickly as she began to get more panic,

"It's your fault, if only you didn't destroy my glove!" Nozomi yelled angrily,

Eli frowned.

"You burn your own hand because of your clumsiness and that's my fault?"

"It is! To begin with, why did you even came here?! I was living in peace before you came here! This is all your fault! If only I never met you— I'll never try to cook this kind of breakfast again, you know? I'm fine with only rice and fried egg!" Nozomi yelled.

"You only eat rice and fried egg every morning?"

"Yes! That's me! That's how I am! I can't cook! And I'm too proud to ask for breakfast from anyone!" Nozomi yelled, a hint of tears coming out from her eyes.

_Ah—she cried…. damn… why am I taking that too seriously…._

Eli said in her mind.

Nozomi chagrined before she punched Eli's face and stormed out.

"Nozomi-wait—where are you—…."

"I'm off to school! I'm wasting my time here! You better clean that mess, junk-woman!"

And Nozomi slammed the door.

Eli sighed weakly.

_Ah….I pissed her again today….too bad—I was looking for a chance to compliment her new style._

Eli said in her mind as she touches her own forehead.

_But at least this makes me want to try harder…._

Eli smiled slightly before she turns her eyes to the tray.

_Hmmm….what she was trying to make before?_

* * *

Outside,

Nozomi stormed out of the house, heading to the stable with rough steps. Honoka and Umi are in the stable— cleaning up Kotori's light gray horse.

"Ah—Nozomi-chan! You look beautiful today!" Honoka complimented.

Nozomi didn't make a respond, she just saddle her dark horse and jumped on top of it.

"That fishtail braid really makes you looks—…"

Nozomi already left the stable before Honoka could finish her words…

"…..mature….. or not…" Honoka said.

Umi sighed.

"She is in a bad mood too today… I thought she said she is going to change today?" Umi said.

"Eh—I guess changing isn't that easy…" Honoka said.

"To tell the truth, though, I guess she already made an effort starting from her looks…" Umi said.

"I guess so…" Honoka replied.

"Tell me, do you all use horse when traveling?" Umi asked.

"Uhm, no, we have steam-bike, it's a magic motorcycle that usually used around the city…" Honoka replied.

"Sounds interesting…" Umi replied.

"Yup, Nozomi-chan own one in her garage, but, I don't think I can access her garage… there's some complex puzzles to open it and I can't solve it until now..." Honoka said.

"Toujou-san own one…huh? But she use horse when traveling to school…" Umi said.

"That's because she enjoy it that way and it's a lot cheaper too. You need this sort of…magical mystic crystals as its fuel…it only can be mined in the Mountain of Love Marginal… it's pretty far away from here but we should go there sometime..."

"Mountain of Love Marginal? Funny name…" Umi said.

"Yup, hehe, I often go there with Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan back then, but… things are changing after we accidentally caught by Nozomi-chan… if you remember my story… we had to pretend that we're not ally..." Honoka replied.

"Ah, yes… but, seriously though, you know Toujou-san hates space pirates so much and yet you become—or pretend to be one then playing hide and seek with her? Insanity." Umi said.

"Told you it's worth the risk, her ego is too big, even for us… we had to do it…" Honoka replied.

"Yeah, I understand that, but…. look, do you think she will ever forgive you if she just somehow knows you, your friends and two of her friends working together to spread the goods to entire galaxy? I mean, I know it's not bad— part of your job is a benefit for us in Terra as you sell us your goods, but… think again… Toujou-san is your friend… right? She'll feel like being back stabbed…" Umi said.

"Hmm…well…Nozomi-chan doesn't want to listen… she is a dictator, we just don't listen to dictator… we always listen to ourselves and our heart says, this is a good thing to do and we should do it…" Honoka said.

"True… but, I still think it's wrong to do that to your own friend… Eli is such a stubborn too sometime, but, when is it very crucial to make only one decision, we just argue— and we even brawl if needed, three of us… then at the end, we stop, then we will start thinking about each other's reason… I know it makes the 'brawling' part sounds very useless, but it always feels good after we fought…" Umi replied.

"Nozomi-chan was unbeatable back then— I think Eli-chan is the first person that able to fight her, even unarmed. Her glove always supports her big ego. Because she will always win with it— firstly because she can bent all of our magic, second because she can multiple it as well… the stronger our magic is, the stronger she is….." Honoka said.

"I see…."

"So, if you ask me, I'm glad Eli destroyed her glove. Without her glove, her element bending is going to be limited and takes longer to channel, she also can't multiple her magic… that makes her a lot weaker and vulnerable…" Honoka replied.

"Then I guess we're not here for nothing… I'm glad one of us could be a big help…" Umi said.

"Heh— you're a big help too you know. My work is a lot faster, even though now I don't have to hide from time to time due to a circumstance, it's just better with you around here… Kotori-chan seems to be glad that you're here too…" Honoka said.

"Honoka, you're a lot brighter than I thought. It's amazing that you understand such kind of thing…" Umi said.

"Hehehe— thank you…." Honoka said shyly.

"…wait… isn't that mean you think I was an idiot!?" Honoka protested.

"Sorry, but yes…" Umi replied

"That's cruel of you, Umi-chan! Cruel! I'm smarter than you thought! Ok?!"

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, afternoon;

Maki still sitting around the lobby, doing nothing but watching Rin working with the delivery workers while Niko is tending the café, Hanayo is in her office,

Maki sighed weakly.

"I need something to do…." Maki said.

"Pssshtt…" someone called, Maki turned to that someone,

"Come here, let's talk, I'm bored…" Niko whispered.

Maki rolled her eyes before she approached her.

"What now? I'm not up for being a damned pirate…" Maki said.

"I don't even want to offer you that, damn it!" Niko said rudely.

"Yea-yeah, then what's up?" Maki asked.

"Just wondering, how is it like to be in Terra?" Niko asked,

"Boring… you walk around, girls screaming at you, you go there, the guys asking for bro-fist, then playing sort of rhythm game in the arcade center, practice, do gym, then eat, bath and stuff, then sleep, then repeat… if there's school schedule, just insert school time in any order…." Maki said.

"Huh? Insert school time?" Niko wondered.

"Yeah, there are three shifts each day, we can take whichever, we can take whole shifts too if we want— but we only do that when we're desperate for money…. Usually because someone in our room broke someone's something…." Maki replied.

"Hell, why does your roommates sound like a barbarian or something?"

"They are Eli and Umi, you know… but to be fair, eh, we just often do that kind of thing yearly. I think we all lose our wit at some points… there's a time when Umi broke my tablet, Eli broke Umi's practice sword, and I broke Eli's scissor. We went full retard that day…" Maki sighed.

"How could you went full retard?! Never go full retard!" Niko said.

"Eh—I told you, we just somehow did… but if you're asking who's the most retard between us that day, it will be Umi— she broke my tablet because she was playing arm wrestling game in my tablet, she took it too seriously…. Eli was just being in her own world when playing with the practice sword, I think she is trying to mimic a dance move and because the space it too small, she broke the sword… then as for me, I was just spinning that scissor around and it flies away then broke as it hit my head..." Maki said.

"W-wait-wait a minute! The scissor broke as it hits your head?! What your head made of damn it?!"

Eli turns her eyes away,

"Not sure, maybe the scissor is just happens to be fragile…" Maki said as she blushed slightly.

"Man! I mean… Girl! What the heck are you?!"

"Clearly human— but you should ask Umi or Honoka for that instead, if you ever heard of Honoka, Umi and Kotori's unbreakable macaroon story…" Maki said.

"Huh-Duh! Honoka is an omnivore, like literally omnivore…"

"You joking? We're all omnivore…" Maki said.

"We don't eat rocks— Honoka did!"

"For whatever reason, you don't call someone omnivore just because she eats something unusual!" Maki yelled.

"Huh? But Omnivore eats anything, right-right?"

"For the sake of God, Niko! It's just not something you use to call someone eats unusual stuff!"

Maki and Niko began to argue,

Rin turned at them and sighed,

"Here goes the magnet-nya…."

She pouts slightly,

"But at least they're cute-nya…" Rin giggled.

* * *

The School of magic, afternoon;

Nozomi stood in front of the class as she carries a book on her hand,

"….a familiar is what you call as your elemental servant, they're not always loyal— because it will depend on what kind and what type they are. Some familiar would help you even if your level of magic is lower than them, but some will not. So you have to make sure that you're summoning the right familiar— don't be so eager to summon the Nephilim of Elements. It requires a very high level of magic and they're not going to obey you if your level is lower than them…"

Nozomi explained.

"Nozomi-sensei! Question!" a student said.

"Ask…" Nozomi replied clearly.

"I heard that summoning familiar is better when you're mastering the element, why?" he asked.

Nozomi smiled at him,

"That because when you're mastering the element, you'll summon stronger familiar as well, for example, fairy type, it's the lowest grade of familiar, but if you master the element, your fairy will be a lot stronger than non-mastered element hound-type which is three grades higher than fairy-type… not to forget about the type of the element as well, say that you're summoning a full mastered fire fairy, then your enemy summon a non-mastered water hound, there will still be a 50% chance for you to lose against it…so you really need to pay attention to it, ok?"

"Sensei! I know this is a stupid question, but, what about mind-magic familiar? I heard they're all very tricky to summon…" the student said.

"That's a trap question, isn't it? Mind-magic doesn't have familiar…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah— she didn't bit it…" the student said.

"There you'll make her rage quitting again…I still want to listen to her lecture, ok?" the other student said.

"Dude… we already lost about 5 assignments this semester!" another student said,

"Man, we don't want to repeat our semester because of you!" another student said.

"Aw-come on… why we have to graduate if we have a beautiful and cute teacher like Nozomi-sensei?"

And the class burst in laughter.

Nozomi frowned slightly—though as she see herself through the faint reflection in the window… she remember that she have to change today…

Nozomi sighed weakly.

"Alright, class, it's time for you to read about the basic familiar… We'll be doing a summoning practice in thirty minutes…" Nozomi said calmly.

The class paused— they're very surprised that Nozomi isn't doing what they thought she would.

"Remember, since this is your first time summoning, just try to summon fairies…. But if you want a challenge, please limit yourself at hound-type… " Nozomi continued.

The class still staring at her in awe…

"Good luck…" Nozomi said before she returned to her desk.

The class began to whisper to each other, some are going straight to read the familiar encyclopedia while some are trying to form a team to study.

Thanks to the crowd, no one hear Nozomi's stomach grumbling. Nozomi sighed weakly again— regretting that she skipped breakfast today.

But, she knows, there's something else that she regret most this morning…

She could remember how she yelled and how she acted towards specific person— and her last word to her as well. She wished that she didn't do so— and she wished that she could stay calm around that specific person.

"Changing is hard…." Nozomi whispered to herself as she placed her forehead to the desk.

She grabs her own right hand, stroking it gently, she could remember how her hand touched that cold metal arm, she could remember how panic she was when that specific person asked about her condition… and she could remember how gentle her smile was.

Nozomi quickly woke up and shook her head in denial,

"No-no… if there is ever a hint of romance— I have to be the one that charm her, not her charming me… why would I surrender to a junk like her anyway…"

Nozomi sighed again,

"…she has to be the one who's crazy over me… not I…." she whispered again to herself.

* * *

The village, afternoon;

Maki and Umi sitting on the bench at the village's center… they are currently enjoying the snacks from Kotori's workshop.

Umi sighed weakly,

"I wonder where Eli gone to, I totally brought this out for her since I thought she won't get any lunch…" Umi said.

"You got a lot of snacks every day, is that ok for you? I mean…for your weight…" Maki asked.

"I have more job to do daily so these kinds of snacks are needed, besides, these snacks gives more protein and energy than fat. I requested it from Kotori last time…" Umi said.

"I see… you seems to be so close to her already…" Maki said.

"Sort of, Kotori and Honoka are very kind and I think we can fit to live together. Even if sometime I got in some trouble because of Honoka— but we're pretty much good with each other… what about you?" Umi asked.

"I'm very well living in Koizumi-san's Inn…. Though, I don't actually have anything to do…. I really want to ask for a job, but…. I don't know… sometimes I'm still working on the field too, but… it's just some time… she have a lot of workers…so, yeah…. You know…." Maki replied.

"I can help you ask if you like…" Umi said.

"R-really? That would be great…" Maki said.

"Yes, you're my responsibility too after all…" Umi smiled,

"Thanks, Umi…." Maki replied somewhat excitedly.

Umi giggled,

"I'm glad you're living nicely though, unlike…specific someone… I keep being worried about her, sometime I really want to open that door and see how she is doing— but I'm afraid that I'll see something that I really don't want to see… especially from Eli…" Umi said sadly,

"Heh, you can shove her to a pit full of hungry beast with giant teeth and an hour later the beast are all toothless and dying… but I guess I understand what you're worried of— it was the treatment, right? Cause we always want our comrade to be treated well— not treated like a slave. This is supposed to be a vacation after all, not prison…"

"Yes, I just don't feel right when seeing Eli treated that way…" Umi replied.

"You know, sometime I wonder if she is actually willing to do that kind of thing for a reason, other than because Nozomi is her type, of course, cute face, cute voice, and big breast…. I know a lot already said because they are like looking at mirror when looking at each other— but I still don't get it…" Maki said.

"Hmm…. I think I can help you to explain that one… it was just some kind of my thought though…" Umi started,

Maki remained quiet to listen.

"You know about Eli's past right? There's something else in it… I remember that she used to try to admire herself in the mirror— but, that arm of hers made her unable to do so… because it's just not what she supposed to have as a fine female. It's true that Eli is a tomboy, like us, but… you do know that she is still holding up herself as a proud female— so it's basically saying she wants to look female, she wants to look feminine and beautiful…" Umi said.

"Huh? Still doesn't make sense for me…" Maki said.

"Hnn… well, it was the thing that says 'unable' to look like what she wanted to look like, she hates herself a lot… and you often heard her saying that she is a junk and all, right?" Umi said.

"Yeah I got that part, but… really, she doesn't have to wear skirt or long haired or stuff like that to look female… she would look fine with trouser and shirt then short haired… being feminine and beautiful doesn't have to be about being full of flowers and ribbons too…" Maki replied.

"I believe she understand that too, it just that—perhaps, it wasn't about the looks that she actually complain about. It was about the hate she have whenever she remember about what happen to her— because her arm always remind her with it. She began to not see herself as female— or human being whenever she sees it. So…I thought, maybe…. by trying to understand Toujou-san— one who have similarity with her… is like trying to understand herself… so that's why she is trying hard to approach her." Umi said.

"I guess that's true—but, you know, I'm still a little off to see Eli to try doing so… I would expect another to do that to her first… so I thought, maybe Nozomi tried to do it first… then Eli after she realized it." Maki said.

"Maybe you're right… I think Kotori used to tell be too before, Toujou-san really hates herself as well and she often unconsciously makes herself suffering in it. So whenever she torments Eli, she is like doing what she often does to herself…. Hmm…so I guess it's still what Toujou-san did that make Eli realize?"

"Or maybe it was just Eli being playful— taking it as a challenge as in, she think it will be fun to try to get her heart since Nozomi is the first girl that really hates her in the first sight…."

"Uh… that's possible… knowing that she often charm peoples out of nowhere just because she think it's fun to make them fall in love then break their heart apart later. That just an example of how much she hates peoples—especially girls. But she never did that again ever since you joined our room… said you have the potential so she doesn't want to be a bad influence…"

"W-what? what potential?!" Maki flustered,

"Not sure… but seriously, I know her as a player when it's about love—I just can't trust her being in serious love with someone… and you shouldn't be influenced by her, ok?"

"Huh? Ok I guess…"

* * *

The School of Magic, practice field;

The field is huge and placed a little further from school, the students are practicing their summoning while Nozomi keep them under her watch.

Suddenly a girl approached her,

"Uhm…Nozomi-sensei… I… I don't know how to summon…" she said.

"Have you read your books? The basics are all written there…" Nozomi said.

"Yes…but… I still don't get it, can you show me how it's done?" the girl asked.

Nozomi noticed something is strange—and she also noticed a few of other students are stealing glance. Nozomi sighed weakly.

"Now-now, that's another trick question, you really wanted to test about how capable I am as a teacher, huh? Then I'll show you…" Nozomi replied.

The girl makes a few steps back,

"Everyone…" Nozomi called them all.

"This is just a little trivia for you who are trying to deepen knowledge about mind magic— they're actually very powerful when you know about how to take maximum advantage of your environment…" Nozomi charged her spell,

"…and that's the reason why I choose this magic, because it's a magic that is not simply depending on power but wit as well…" Nozomi spreads her arms slowly— familiars began to show up from everywhere around students. There are fairies, goblins, hounds, dryad, and wyverns in a few elements.

"….as you can see, I'm awakening them from the nature itself. So that would be nature, earth, light, darkness, wind, and water elementals…" Nozomi added before she snapped her fingers and all the familiars disappears into the air.

All the students clap their hands in awe,

"But don't fret, environment also benefits them who learn the pure elementals, so if by any chance you really wanted to deepen specific elemental, then try to find a perfect place for you to practice it… don't get too close with water when you're practicing fire elemental, try to find a dry land instead, then try to find a dark place if you want to practice dark elemental, but remember, don't try to summon better than hounds at this level— this could be a serious problem if you do…" Nozomi said.

"Sensei, question!" a student said.

"Ask…"

"Can you summon Nephilim?" he asked.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment, then she sighed,

"Nephilim is the highest grade of familiar, even the elder in better school might not be able to summon them. You might need a Magic Technology equipment as well just to be safe, but to answer your question— I might can do it with my glove… but I can't right now since I don't have it with me…" Nozomi replied.

"Aw… that's too bad— but we saw here in the book, Nephilim illustration is kind of bad ass… I really want to fight along sides with it…" the student said.

"There's still Dullahan-type, it should be five grades higher than wyvern and three grades lower than Nephilim… I can do that one…" Nozomi said.

The students began to search in their book about Dullahan,

"Wh-whoa! Headless knight armor!" the students said in awe as they look at the book illustrations.

"It really looks bad ass… with those armors I mean…" said the other,

"I really like the Wind Dullahan, look at those slim figures with gentle green and yellow shine… somewhat looks female…"

"The Dark Dullahan kick ass, look at those skulls and strong pointy design, I totally going to deepen my dark element knowledge…" another student said.

"Remember, everyone… you're not in that level yet, please be patient and work on your hound type first. We will learn about the later one in two more semesters…" Nozomi said.

"Sensei! Can you show us this Dullahan first before we go practice our hounds?" the student ask,

"Yeah, please show us, one is enough…" the other said.

"I want Fire Dullahan!"

"I'll go with Wind Dullahan!"

And the students began to get noisy,

Nozomi claps her hands,

"Everyone, please be quiet…"

They went quiet,

"I'll do all Dullahan if you obey my rules. So you better make this practice running smoothly, ok?"

"Yeah!" the students cheered before they began to split up to do their practice.

* * *

Nozomi began to look for a place to rest for a moment.

She decided to go to a big tree near the gate of the practice ground area.

Nozomi sighed weakly and she sat down on the stone floor. She could feel her stomach began to growl again and her head started to be hurting. Suddenly, someone offered a box of lunch in front of her.

Nozomi turned to the person.

"Kotori-chan?" Nozomi flustered.

"Hehe, someone asked me to deliver it to you. She said, you haven't eaten anything this morning so you will need it…" Kotori replied.

Nozomi blushed slightly, she remained quiet as she open the lunch box. There's rice, a few thick beef ribs, and a few vegetables in it. Everything looks neat and delicious.

Nozomi frowned slightly,

"Show off…" Nozomi said.

"But you will eat that, right? You won't know the real taste before eating it…." Kotori said.

Nozomi sighed before she began to eat. At first she was a little doubting—but…after she started…. she just can't stop eating it… it is too delicious for her.

"Hehe, I met her on my way here. She was walking all the way from home…." Kotori said.

Nozomi didn't make a respond, she keep on eating her meal.

"I think whatever she did to you this morning, she want to apologize… hmm… such a gentle person she is…" Kotori said.

Nozomi paused for a moment— though she decided to not make a respond and continue eating.

"By the way, you look a lot calmer today… and your new hairstyle looks nice on you… anything special?" Kotori asked.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment,

"…no…. I just wanted to show that I'm different…" Nozomi replied.

"…so you're trying to lie to yourself…?" Kotori asked.

Nozomi began to think,

"Maybe…" she replied.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing though… it's a part of changing yourself… for better or worse, you just have to make sure that it is what you want to be...so whatever the others tell you about it, just make sure that you're doing what you decided to do, even if it's a lie…" Kotori said.

Nozomi smiled faintly.

"I wonder why I hardly listen to your lecture… you're a mature girl… I'm such a child." Nozomi said.

"Hmm… not sure? But either way, Nozomi-chan, we're all mature in a way, and we're all kids in a way…so I guess you can't say I'm a mature girl… and you can't say you're a childish one…"

"Is that so?"

"Yup! But …. I'm glad you met her, Ayase-san, I mean… this drastic change can be happening in just a few days— I'm really surprised, you know…"

"Have I changed that drastically? I thought this is just my first day….and…I think I screwed up the beginning too…" Nozomi said.

"It's going to be better and better, just make sure you're treating Ayase-san kindly from now on, ok?"

Nozomi sighed,

"I'll try…" she said.

Kotori giggled,

"We already force them to stay for a month and a half, so we better treat them well… and it's all because you insisted too anyway… they have no choice… we're such a bad host to them…"

"Do you think it's alright if I let them go home now?"

Kotori sighed weakly,

"Honestly, I kind of enjoy this too, Umi-chan is very capable of doing a lot of things… and I think Kayo-chan also like it… Nishikino-san often plays piano secretly at night, she said it's a beautiful melody and feels like lullaby for everyone at the Inn…but what about you? Do you like them to be here?" Kotori asked.

"I don't know…. I'm scared of something… but… I…I just don't know which one fears me most…." Nozomi replied.

Kotori smiled sweetly,

"Nozomi-chan, other than scared if they're pirates, are you scared to fall in love with Ayase-san…?"

Nozomi surprised to hear it, though she couldn't answer it.

"I just somehow get a feeling you would… because you were not the type to care about others so much— but then you suddenly keep on picking on her, even though you actually can cast her away to us… then the way you let her survive in the first battle with her…"

Nozomi remained quiet as she continues eating instead.

"Is it really because you like to see her suffer? Or is it because you think you know someone like her? or perhaps it's because you're just somehow attracted to her? or…it's simply because she just can't die…"

"It's none of them… it was just because I think she needs to pay her debt…" Nozomi said before she finished her lunch.

"She did, right? I heard you destroyed her family album... and a few other thing… don't you think it's enough? Why keep her until now then?"

"What are you trying to suggest?" Nozomi frowned,

"Nothing, I'm just asking… because I'm your friend, I really want you to think about it… those are just my thoughts about you in a few days…"

"This isn't like you, you know… there must be someone who give you courage to say all this…"

"Nope, there's no one. It's really me… because I really don't want you to fall in unnecessary emotion… if you don't like, then cast her away— but if you like, then try to make her fall in love to you as well… and then see what happen in one month and a half…."

"I'll think about it, ok?"

"Time is running fast, Nozomi-chan… we're at the beginning now and you shouldn't lose your start…"

Nozomi remained quiet to think about it.

Suddenly, a student ran in to her,

"S-Sensei! Help! P-please!" he said.

"What's wrong?" Nozomi asked as she puts down her empty lunch box. The student beckoned, Nozomi quickly follows him.

Kotori sighed weakly and then she turned at a direction,

"That was close and scary! Sheesh! Why do you not say that yourself?"

Someone appeared from behind the wall of the gate,

"Because it's more interesting that way…"

A mischievous smile...

* * *

It's a very dark cave,

The students lead Nozomi to go in there, they carefully walks through it as they carry torch on their hand,

"I can see reason why you're going inside here, but…what kind of danger is this? I hope you're not playing a prank on me again…" Nozomi said.

"A-Actually… we were all practicing our familiar summoning… I was on my practice to summon goblin while the others are still on fairy until suddenly, Kojiro said he really wanted to summon dullahan already…"

"…and he did? Great…" Nozomi said sarcastically,

"No…not quite… we warned him a lot of time that we're not going to help him if anything happen— also threaten to call Sensei if he is going to try it…but...then he started to blabber that his father taught him that we can increase level of magic by using a medium, dead or alive…"

"That's a necromancer teaching, kind of already out of date… didn't I told you that in previous classes?"

"Yes… and we also told him that we can just try to buy some staff or any magic technology equipment to help with that later, but… he insisted that he really want it now and impress Sensei with it… then everyone deny him so hard… since no one want to listen to him…he…" the student gestured, showing Nozomi a view of a few students hiding and cowering behind rocks while there is one student crouching inside a magic circle, blood splattered all over the ground,

"….is trying to summon it with himself as medium…"

* * *

**There, Sorry can't go much today...but I'm doing my best to keep updates~**

**then for a few question, Yes please I'd like to have a Beta reader / helper on correction. please contact me on skype or private msg for it. my skype is "lightofspring142", Please tell me who you are and how/why you got me or I won't accept it!**


	7. Hope of The Past and Future

**Kk, here is next chapter**

**Thanks for Reviews/Comments/Faves/ Follows.**

**I got help from Crimson to do the editing! Thanks her too~**

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, afternoon;

Maki sat around in her room. She sighed weakly and kept staring out to the tall trees around the village. Suddenly, someone knocked the door,

"Come on in…." Maki said.

The door opened very gently,

"Ah, Koizumi-san…" Maki said.

"You can call me by my name, Maki-chan…" Hanayo said.

Maki blushed slightly.

"Then….Hanayo..." Maki said shyly,

"Yup, sounds about right. It feels strange when you call Rin-chan as Rin and Niko-chan as Niko but calling me Koizumi-san…I feel a little left out…" Hanayo said.

"Well...I …I just thought you're the respectable one… besides, they called me with my name from the very first day so… I call them with their names…"

"I see…."

They both remain quiet for a moment,

"How was your family…?" Hanayo asked to break the silence,

"They're fine…." Maki replied.

"I'm glad… It's been many years, but my family really respects the Nishikino Family…. Even after the time when they decided to join Terra, because we knew your family was just worried about the health of everyone there…" Hanayo said.

"Thank you…" Maki scratched her head.

"Hehe, you don't need to thank me, but, to tell you the truth, Maki-chan, your family has a gift of magic in their lineage, but I suppose you can't use magic since you were never taught to do so…"

"Using magic in Terra is like a suicide, because Terra doesn't accept magic. They are more likely to remove anyone who uses it… So I don't suppose my family will teach me anything like that…" Maki said.

"I understand… because using cyber technology on Earth also causes people to panic. They always label cyber technology users as enemy— thanks to the real pirates…" Hanayo sighed.

"Do they really?"

"Yup, the time when we found you and the others, we got a little panicked as well— but I remember your face because you're somewhat similar to your ancestors, then I also saw your name on the armor and decided that you can't be a bad girl…"

"Heh—family name doesn't make me a good girl, but thanks for that I suppose…"

"Hehe, you should give thanks to Kotori-chan too, she was the one who convinced Nozomi-chan to let you all live…and also strip you off your armor before anyone else saw it…"

"Then I guess you stripped us for our safety as well…"

"Yup, at first, Nozomi-chan wanted to just slaughter you directly while you were all weak and unconscious. But I'm glad Umi-chan was awake early and could wake you up as well…" Hanayo said.

"And I'm glad she didn't wake up Eli or else we would've been doomed in a matter of seconds…" Maki sighed.

"We kind of knew that since Ayase-san didn't look friendly. I think I've told you that before. But anyway, you should start using magic technology to help around here… I don't suppose you can go around unarmed…" Hanayo said.

"Magic technology, huh? Where we can get it?" Maki asked.

"Supposedly, you could ask Nozomi-chan to make it for you… but, I'm not sure how you can ask that off her… you can also ask Kotori-chan to make you the traditional weapon as well— I think Umi-chan already uses the bow Kotori-chan made for her… but either way, you should get a weapon and go out if you want… don't lock yourself in this village…" Hanayo said.

"Uhm….I have another problem though. I don't know my way around…" Maki said.

"You can always go with Rin-chan…or….hmm…actually, let's go to the city, you, me, Niko-chan, and Rin-chan…. how about it?" Hanayo asked.

"Eh? The city?"

"Yup, we can use Nozomi-chan's car… I have plenty of fuel ready so we can travel around the city— and maybe you'll find something you want too…" Hanayo said.

"That's sounds exciting! I'll go!" Maki said very excitedly.

Hanayo surprised as she saw Maki shoot up in excitment.

"I-I mean! I..If you think I should..uh…go…. I don't mind!" Maki blushed madly,

Hanayo giggled,

"Sheesh—don't laugh at me…" Maki complained.

"We need to think of a camouflage for you though. You shouldn't admit yourself as a soldier of Terra… hmm I wonder what we can arrange for you…."

Hanayo began to think.

* * *

The school of magic, practice ground;

Nozomi lured out the dark Dullahan, who had her students' unconscious inside his body, from the cave. He had been attacking aggressively towards her while the other students remained in hiding behind bushes and trees outside the stone arena around the cave,

The dark Dullahan, carrying a big shield and a big sword, attempted to slash Nozomi from time to time—yet she managed to dodge it and used a wind magic as counter attack. Wind Magic has never been too effective for an attack against an armored enemy—but it's able to stagger it, if cast with enough energy.

"Nozomi-sensei, I have fire!" said a student.

Nozomi quickly turned to where the student was and a fire ball was casted her way— Nozomi quickly bent the magic and turned it into a fire slash. The Dark Dullahan quickly blocks it with his shield.

"Damn, we need something stronger for that shield…" said another student,

"Sensei, I can do earth magic…" said the student.

"Do it on range— do not enter the battle zone!" Nozomi shouted.

"Got it!" the other student said.

As the dark Dullahan attempted to attack Nozomi with a dark elemental magic—a ranged slash; Nozomi quickly put up a wind shield to block it, then suddenly the Dullahan put up his shield, and attempted to charge at her with the said shield, but the student casted the earth magic on the ground, making the Dullahan stumble down.

From that event, Nozomi began to charge up her magic,

"Ah—Sensei is summoning! Let's take his attention!" said a student.

"Sensei! Wait! Kojiro is still inside! If you use familiar— the familiar might kill him as well!" said another student.

Nozomi noticed it, and began to attempt another spell.

The Dullahan got up from its place, then quickly picked up his giant sword and threw a hasty slash towards Nozomi—which caused Nozomi to quickly dodge and cancel her spell.

"Cancelled! We need to get his attention!" said a student.

"No! Do not put yourself at risk…" Nozomi shouted.

"But, sensei…" a student began to feel concerned,

"Just run and find help… get another teacher to come here and hold this creature so we can take him out…" Nozomi said.

"Understood!" some students said before they ran…

Nozomi saw the stone that popped out from the ground— the stone that came from her student's magic to stumble the Dullahan, Nozomi quickly used her mind magic to make it ascend further and fly into the Dullahan—again unfortunately, he blocked it with his shield, which remained intact without a single scratch.

"W-wow… this Dullahan…." A student said.

Nozomi frowned,

"I need ice… or water, any of you mastering it?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, sensei, I have water!" shouted a student.

"Then cast it…" Nozomi said.

The Dullahan attempted to attack Nozomi once more, but Nozomi dodged it quickly. Her student casted the water magic for Nozomi to quickly catch and cast it upon the Dullahan as an ice magic— freezing his entire body.

"Perfect!" a student shouted.

Nozomi sighed in relieve.

She waited for a moment, but the Dullahan seemed to not be able to free himself from the ice. Some students were about to run and approach him but Nozomi quickly halted them.

"…this is still a dangerous state, stay outside…" Nozomi said.

"Should I cast ice magic from here to strengthen it?" another student asked.

"Yes please. But don't let the head hollow part be covered, I need to take him out…" Nozomi replied.

"Understood…" the students said.

Some students began to cast their ice magic to hold The Dullahan from afar. Nozomi kept walking around it to check its strength.

After she was sure that she could get it, she told the students to stand further. Nozomi began to climb the tall, frozen Dark Dullahan, then carefully reach for her student—who gladly is still alive but unconscious.

Nozomi tried her best to take him out— despite the coldness of the ice which started to sting her skin behind her shirt. The ice somewhat felt a little slippery and luckily for her, that she feet wore cotton socks behind her thin and pretty leather shoes so that the cold didn't hurt her feet directly.

She managed to take out her student and placed him down.

She sighed weakly.

The students began to run in.

"Kojiro! Kojiro!" a few students began to worry about their friend.

"Take him to clinic, quick!" said a student.

"yeah!" and they quickly picked him up and rushed to the clinic

"Sensei! That was close!" said a student.

Nozomi smiled,

"Thanks for all of your hard work…" Nozomi said.

"Eh? W-well!" the students began to get flustered.

"I guess I'm not needed here huh?" Kotori said as she arrived to the place along with a few students.

"Ah—Kotori-chan, I need to clean this mess up and… maybe the familiar too. Can you take my students back to class and give them some intense lecture about "Do not ever use human medium for summoning" please?" Nozomi asked.

"Yup, understood, but I can only do it for about half an hour, I have class later…" Kotori said.

"That should be fine, as long you can explain them why…" Nozomi replied.

"Ok!" Kotori replied cheerfully.

"Alright class!" Kotori claps her hands,

"Come with me! I'll give you some extra lecture for your mess!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"W-why are you so happy about it…Kotori-sensei…." said a student.

"Because I'm glad to help! Hehe!" Kotori said cheerfully.

* * *

Toujou's resident, underground garage, afternoon;

Hanayo, Rin, Maki, and Niko already prepared their belongings, which were all carried in big bags. Maki wore a brown shirt, black trouser, thick boots, red scarf and dark brown leather jacket and carrying a melodica with her,

"So…I'm a bard, yes?" Maki asked.

"Yup, you're a bard-nya!" Rin replied.

"No one actually pay attention to bards, so I think no one will get suspicious about you and your behavior, I'm sure you'll be having a hard time with it later since… the city is a little different than the village— and absolutely different than Terra…" Hanayo said.

"I'll do my best…" Maki said.

"Ey—question, I don't remember Nozomi to ever clean up this place… I mean like, girl… I sneaked in to this place twice a month and it never changed—now I haven't snuck in a few days and suddenly this place becomes so sparkly?" Niko said as she walks around the garage.

Hanayo looked very surprised as well seeing how the dusty garage suddenly looks very clean and neat.

"Ah—Beat in Angel!" Maki said as she ran to her space ship.

"I miss this girl so much…" Maki said as she gently brushes her hand on the said ship.

"Wah—wah, these ships looks so bad ass nya…" Rin said.

"I know right, these are our personal ships…" Maki said.

Hanayo still looked around, feeling something very off about the place.

"Eli made these ships for us; even though we know about mechanics, we're just not as handy as her … She also made us our suits and weapons and even does all the maintenance for it every week. But at times, we do it on our own— but it's usually only when we want to add our own specific upgrades." Maki said.

"I see-nya… but I kinda like the red one, is that yours-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, this is mine…" Maki said.

"Hmpmh! Your ship needs more pink!" Niko said.

"Huh? Nah— why? I like it red…" Maki said.

"Because— it would look cuter…" Niko said.

"I think more yellow would be better-nya…" Rin said.

"Pink!" Niko pouts

"Yellow-nya!" Rin pouts.

"Pink!"

"Yellow-nya!"

And the two began to argue.

Maki sighed,

"There… I'm not going to paint this ship with any other color…" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled,

"If I say add green, will that make it a rainbow color?" Hanayo asked.

Maki blushed,

"W-what? I told you I'm not going to paint it!" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled again.

"I'm joking... but… speaking of which… is Ayase-san a perfectionist?" Hanayo asked.

"Huh? Yes. She is a maniac for perfection…" Maki said.

Hanayo began to think for a moment,

"What's up?" Maki asked.

"I'm…I'm just thinking… this garage has never been this neat before…" Hanayo said.

"See? You agreed with me…." Niko said.

"Did she enter this place?" Hanayo said.

"Eh—Uhm…. I'm not sure… but… it's possible, she might be able to solve puzzles on doors quickly now since it uses basic mechanism…" Maki said.

"But… if she did, wouldn't that made her angry?" Hanayo asked.

"Angry? Why?" Maki asked.

Hanayo remained quiet for a moment as she went to approach the white ship— Glass Garden. The Sword-axe was already missing from its previous place, the suit that had been on floor was also missing, and the ship seemed to be cleaned from dirt and dust.

"Aaah! T-Th-this is bad!" Hanayo went panic.

"W-What?!" Maki flustered.

"W-Where is the suit and the weapon?! If Ayase-san took it… she'll be in trouble!" Hanayo said in panic.

"Oh— about that, I kind of know where that is…" Maki said.

"E-Eh?" Hanayo flustered.

Maki smiled faintly before she walked to the back side of Eli's ship, then opening a door that no one had thought it existed. Instantly finding the suit and weapon placed neatly inside.

"There… This is where it's supposed to be…" Maki said.

"Ooohh!" Hanayo, Rin, and Niko said in awe.

"Hmm…. Let's see the ones in Glass Garden and Anemone Heart…" Maki said as she went to check on the other ships as well.

Apparently, everything was complete and neatly placed.

"Yup, nothing taken, everything is in place…" Maki said.

"I…I see…. but…. uhm…. if it's really Ayase-san…. Why does she do it? I mean… she can just escape any time…" Hanayo said.

Maki sighed weakly before she smiled faintly.

"Yeah….I wonder about that too…."

* * *

The School of magic, practice ground, afternoon;

Nozomi carefully fixed the stone ground with her magic, the dark Dullahan still frozen in its place,

"Alright… that's fixed… hmm…" Nozomi turned to the dark Dullahan after she finished with the stone ground.

"I wonder why this thing is lasting longer than I expect. Human medium sure is scary…." Nozomi said.

Suddenly, a crack was heard from the ice that held the dark Dullahan, Nozomi quickly took her battle stance,

And there another was a crack; Nozomi began to channel her summoning magic towards the sunlight,

The crack was getting bigger as the dark Dullahan started to move,

Nozomi kept focus on her summoning,

Right at the time when she managed to summon a White Dullahan, white and gold armored, carrying a pair of big shields, the Dark Dullahan managed to break free from the ice, and began to attack which were all blocked by the White Dullahan.

The White Dullahan started to bash its shield on the Dark Dullahan aggressively. While he is occupied, Nozomi started to charge her magic on the surrounding natural resources.

Though as the Dark Dullahan noticed Nozomi, he began to burn himself with dark fire that he cast on his own— and started to run amok towards her. The White Dullahan tried his best to protect Nozomi, though after a few charges, the White Dullahan began to break and it eventually disappeared into the air.

Nozomi still haven't finished her channeling when the dark Dullahan ran towards her— Forcing Nozomi to cancel her spell and jump out of the way to dodge his attack. Then he continued to attack aggressively as his body burnt in dark fire—which kept Nozomi busy dodging and using a quick wind attack to stagger him. Though even with many staggers, he kept on going and going with his attacks, giving no chance for Nozomi to channel powerful magic.

As the time passes and the battle going on— Nozomi began to lose her stamina and she started to run slower, yet the Dark Dullahan seems to not be losing a single bit of his stamina, but instead, getting more power from the dark fire that surrounded him.

He began to move faster and managed to bash Nozomi very roughly with his shield. Nozomi fell to the ground and at the time she cast a wind magic to stagger him—He blocked it with his shield and raised his giant sword.

Before he managed to bring down his sword on her— someone shot a big rock at him, knocking him away from Nozomi. Nozomi couldn't say a word to that; she was too shocked when it actually happened— what kind of person was able to a throw big and heavy looking rock like a light rubber ball?

"I guess he still needs to learn how to receive ball…." A familiar voice…

Nozomi turned to the person.

"A-Ayase…?" she called her.

"You're doing badly…" Eli said.

Nozomi frowned,

"Then beat him if you can— I bet you'll be headless in seconds…" Nozomi said angrily.

"With pleasure…" Eli said as she stretched herself.

The Dark Dullahan got up and in a very quick motion and ran towards Eli. Eli smiled before she also ran towards him. As the two were about to meet— Eli pivoted to his right side while the dark Dullahan still ran past her, Eli grabbed his right hand and threw him to the ground then within seconds, Eli stole his giant sword and quickly made range.

The dark Dullahan got up turning to Eli who stole his sword.

"Come on, you want this back, right?" Eli provoked him

He began to run towards her and this time he hid his hand, only charging with his shield towards her, Eli also ran towards him and at the time when they almost met each other, Eli crouched down—pivoting on the lower side and slashing the giant sword against his leg which caused him to fall once again.

Before he managed to stand back up, Eli raised the giant sword and rained it down on him very quickly—cutting his body into two causing him to instantly fade away into the air along with the giant sword.

Eli sighed weakly.

"Gone already? That's no fun…" she said.

Nozomi remained quiet— she kept staring at Eli in awe.

Eli turned towards Nozomi, her head bleeding greatly from the shield attack.

Eli sighed weakly again before she turned away from her and started to walk to the other side,

As Nozomi saw it happen, she quickly shouted,

"Hey! What kind of idiot are you!?"

Eli paused and turned back at Nozomi again.

"My head is bleeding! Idiot! I can't stand! I can't move!" Nozomi yelled.

"Then stay there… I'll call the medic…" Eli said.

"You idiot?! Why would you call a medic? Look! You can carry a big sword at ease, why can't you just take me there?!" Nozomi yelled.

Eli chuckled,

"Do you think I'll carry someone who has been calling me an idiot in every sentence?" Eli said.

"That's because you're a total idiot! There's a woman who needs help and you just walk away without even looking twice!" Nozomi said angrily.

"I've seen you a lot of times now; I don't need to look twice…" Eli replied.

"Annoying bitch!" Nozomi yelled,

As she said that, Eli quickly turned back and slapped Nozomi with her left hand. Nozomi frowned at her,

"Why did you slap a wounded person like me?"

"Even if you're dying, I'm not going to help a dirty mouthed person like you… might be better if you're dead too… so that the beauty doesn't get contaminated by your words…" Eli said.

Nozomi grimed,

"Then go on! Leave me dying here!" Nozomi yelled,

Eli smiled and she turns away from her,

"Yup, that's what I'm going to do… I'm not interested on pitying to a person who can't keep her promises to herself…" Eli said before she walks away again,

As Nozomi heard it, she began to remember that she promised to change today.

"Wait!" Nozomi shouted.

Eli paused again.

"Look…Ayase … please carry me to the clinic…" Nozomi said shyly.

Eli turned around and approaches her.

"Only because you're saying 'please' …." Eli said before she crouched and offered her back.

"Here… I'll carry you…" Eli said again as she beckoned, telling Nozomi to get on her back.

Nozomi doubted for a second, and then she started to blush, her heart beating faster,

"Your back? Is your arm not strong enough to carry me? How useless… so much for a strong mechanic arm…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed,

"Fine then…" Eli turned around again and began to pick up Nozomi in her arms.

"You're demanding too much… aren't you?" Eli said.

"This is all your fault anyway, if you hadn't destroyed my glove, I could've take him down myself…" Nozomi said.

"…And without it, you're blaming me again…." Eli said.

"It seriously is… I can't teach effectively without it…." Nozomi pouts cutely.

Eli sighed,

"Let's…just get to the clinic… ok? Hope you have some doctor to stop your bleeding…"

"Doctor? Are you from the past? We already have healers! We don't need ineffective doctors!"

"You should say that to Maki and see what happens…" Eli said.

"I'm talking to you right now! Idiot! Why would I care about what others say…?!"

Eli chuckled,

"Don't laugh! It's not a joke!"

* * *

Kotori's workshop, afternoon;

Maki entered the workshop,

"Oi, Umi, are you around?" Maki shouted.

No response,

"Umi! Where are you?" Maki called again.

Still no response…

"Umi…Eh…?" Maki paused as she reached the door to Minami's residence which connected to the workshop.

She has never entered Kotori's house before, but she knows that Umi has been staying in her house at night and should be around the workshop during the day.

Maki started to look around— no one was watching. She curiously approached the door and tried to open it— it's unlocked.

She enters the house, sneaking around the area. — Apparently, Minami's residence is very neatly arranged house, always decorated with a lot of cute dolls, frilly curtains and some other stuff. It's a very calm and peaceful place to live.

Maki quietly explored the area, staring at every wonderful detail of the decorations. Then she stopped at one specific door which somewhat looks interesting to her as it decorated with rabbits as decorations,

As she entered the room— dark blue dominated the whole place, a few bright gray and orange colors giving life to the dark color, then white rabbit dolls placed on the bed. It looked very comfortable and somewhat luxurious. Then she spotted a familiar handwriting on a piece of paper that placed under a book titled: "Flowers of The Future"

Maki took the paper and began to read,

_Now, bloom! At the end of passionate hopes  
Embark on a journey to meet your fate._

_Brilliance lies beyond the wind  
Someday, the answer will come to you  
So to not forget kindness, let's bloom_

_And so, we will talk once again_  
_Carrying red, bright red flowers of the future_  
_And so, we will talk once again_  
_The next time we meet, we'll be different people, yes?_  
_Towards a new two we head..._

Maki tilts her head.

"Huh? Is this a poem? Who did she write this for?" Maki mumbled, and she began to search around again before she suddenly heard the door creaking very-very-very slowly.

"Maki…." A heavy and scary voice…

Maki turned to the source extremely slowly and nervously,

"U-U-Umi…" Maki said.

"Why are you here….?" She asked in a very scary voice.

"U-uh…I'm…. looking for you?" Maki said.

And as she said that, Umi grabs a pillow from the couch near the door then threw it at Maki in a supersonic speed, Maki got recoiled to the back slightly as she caught the pillow, then as Umi dashed towards her— Maki quickly opened the window and jumped out.

"Oi! Umi! C-Calm down! I-I read it but I'm not laughing at it!" Maki yelled.

"You read it!" Umi yelled, she suddenly already has another pillow with her which she carried like a samurai sword, she dashed towards Maki very quickly about to hit her down with it— Maki quickly dodged it and jumped up to the roof with her pillow.

"Heh— it's a little heavier to move around here, but fine, let's just brawl this out… been a while too anyway…" Maki said.

"I'm glad you said so!" Umi said as she dashed up very quickly about to bash Maki with the pillow. Maki quickly jumps to her back getting ready to bash Umi with her pillow but Umi took a very quick rotation to parry her pillow with her pillow.

Then they began to hit each other with their own pillows as they move very quickly on top of the roof which caught some Inns' visitors and workers' attention.

As they kept bashing and dashing, Rin came out from the Inn,

"Maki-chan, have you—Ahh!" Rin was surprised to see Maki and Umi fighting each other with pillows. Hanayo and Niko also went out from the Inn and were astonished as they saw how fast the fight went.

They saw how skillful Maki was when she slid her feet as she made a gap and jumped away from Umi, they also saw how powerful and quick Umi's arms were when moving her pillow towards Maki. It looked like a fair fight, with neither of them getting any support from their equipment's ever since they took off their armored shoes.

"Wow…they're…fast…." Niko said.

"Y-yeah…. I wonder how they can move like that…" Hanayo said.

"It's…awesome-nya….." Rin said in awe. Her eyes, sparkling as her eyes glued on to their every movement.

"Now— take this!" Umi shouted as she dashed very quickly at Maki, swinging her pillow very quickly, so much so that the feathers began to fly out from it as it hit Maki,

"Heh—not bad, take this!" Maki shouted as she rolled up and attacked Umi very quickly, feathers also started to fly out from hers as well.

Then the two jumped down from the roof— keeping a huge distance from each other.

"You're going down now!" Umi shouted as she dashed again towards Maki, spinning her body around like a samurai,

"No way!" Maki dashed like an assassin and her knife,

Then as the two were about to reach each other—…..

* * *

The School of Magic, Dusk;

Eli waited near the stable, resting her back against the stone wall,

"Ayase…" Nozomi called her as she arrived to the stable.

Eli remained quiet as she glanced at Nozomi, who was already fully healed and looked fresh.

"Let's go home…. I'm hungry…" Nozomi said.

Eli nodded slightly before she leads Nozomi's dark horse out from the stable.

"Here…" Eli said.

Nozomi approached her dark horse, jumping up onto his back.

"Your horse looks strong…" Eli said.

"His name is Nightmare, not a common horse; he is a materialized familiar, Sleipnir-type, Dark Element…" Nozomi said.

"Typical dark horse name, but…isn't Sleipnir supposed to be eight legged, why does he only have four?"

"Because he isn't in his battle form… I don't have enough power to put him in his battle form…" Nozomi replied.

"I see…"

"How do you know that?" Nozomi asked,

"I read it from one of your student's books; he left it on the ground so I picked it up…"

"Have you returned it?"

"I gave it to the library…" Eli replied.

"Good, you're not allowed to own that… you're from somewhere else…" Nozomi said coldly before she began to walk away with her horse. Eli didn't protest while watching Nozomi leaving her in the stable, she just remained quiet and began to walk.

Nozomi paused for a moment,

"Why are you not protesting? I'm leaving you alone after I told you to wait for me…" Nozomi asked.

"Why should I?" Eli asked back.

"Because isn't it going to be tiring to walk from here to the village?"

"I'm a soldier… that range is nothing…" Eli replied.

"It will be faster if you ride a horse… and it's a lot more effective…"

"I don't have one, so I have to walk…"

"There's someone here who has one… and she used to let you ride on the back…"

"So…?"

Nozomi frowned,

"Idiot!" She ran away with her horse, leaving Eli alone once again.

Eli sighed weakly then continued to walk. After a few meters of distance, Nozomi stopped again and turned around, seeing Eli still walking quietly.

Nozomi bit her lip,

And she decided to turn around once more,

"Can't you tell me to wait?" Nozomi shouted.

Eli stopped,

"Why?"

"I'm really going to leave you, ok?"

"Then go on first…" Eli said.

"It's going to be dark at night, and you won't be able to see anything…" Nozomi said.

"If I don't manage to return to village before night falls, then I'll see you in the morning…"

Nozomi frowns deeper and she once again running away from her…

* * *

The Village, dusk;

Umi lay on the ground— Maki lay on the ground near her… and the pillows were completely turned into a piece of cloth. The audiences stood watching the two breathing heavily on the ground.

"That's…draw….." Maki said.

"Yeah…. You're getting better…." Umi said.

"You too…." Maki replied.

And they got up….

"So… what was it before…?" Umi asked.

"Uh…I just want to say that I'm going to the city with Hanayo, Rin, and Niko…" Maki said.

"Oh… why didn't you say that before? You could've just went…" Umi said.

"Huh? You attacked me…" Maki said.

"Ah—right… you read my poem…" Umi said.

"I did, but I'm not laughing at it, ok? I think it's good…." Maki said.

"R-Really?" Umi blushed madly.

"Yup, I think I can make a song out of it…." Maki said.

"Sounds good, then we should ask Eli for the choreography…" Umi said.

The two laughed,

"Sure! Sounds good!"

The audience began to get flustered,

"By the way, I need to hurry up and fix these pillows… you should go now…" Umi said.

"Yeah— need anything? I can get it from the city…" Maki said.

"Hmm… maybe a couple of metals so we can ask Eli to make a weapon for us…" Umi said.

"Ah—now that reminds me, we should ask a weapon from Nozomi… but, not sure…"

"Let's just ask Eli… she knows our needs… less time for explanation." Umi said.

"True…" Maki said.

They giggled again before they hit each other fists gently.

"Uhhnn! Maki-chan!" Rin called.

Maki turned to her,

"C-Can you… teach me your moves-nya?!" Rin asked.

"E-Ehh?!" Maki flustered.

"I…I really love your moves-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Ehhhh!?" Maki blushed madly,

"There you go, new fans…" Umi said teasingly.

"T-Th-there! I-I'm not going to teach anyone that, ok?! I'm still a student!" Maki said in panic.

And the crowds laughed at her.

* * *

The road to the village, dusk;

Eli slowly walked through the stone path, while enjoying the view of the nature…

_Ah— the earth is truly a magnificent place to live on… why do those people loves Terra so much? I know everything is a lot more effective there but—seriously? To trade beautiful nature for effectiveness?_

Eli wondered as she notices a beautiful forest and green grasses around the area.

_But maybe I shouldn't complain…that is a place for people like them…like me…._

Eli turns her sight to her right arm.

She sighed weakly.

As she continued her journey along the road, she saw someone standing on the stone path along with a horse— a familiar dark horse to be exact.

"Are you tired yet?" Nozomi asked.

"Tired of what?" Eli asked.

"Walking…"

"No, I told you this range is nothing for me… I've faced worst…"

"You're stubborn…" Nozomi said.

"What?"

"I said you're stubborn and troublesome!"

"What are you even talking about? What did I do to you?" Eli protested.

"Is it so hard for you to beg for help? To beg for kindness…?"

"What about you? What are you even trying to make me say?"

"I…..I want you to say that you need my help!"

"It's just walking from the school to the village? Why would I beg for help?"

Nozomi sighed heavily,

"Look! Ayase! You were being kind to me this very morning, you came to my school, give me food which I really needed, then you saved me from that Dark Dullahan, and then you patiently waited for me at the stable, I treated you badly and even left you… forced you to walk back home when it's close to the nighttime, don't you think it's unfair? Why do accept it? Why do you never complain?"

"Are you always expecting someone to give you something in return when you're being kind to them? Do you actually believe someone is being kind to you because they want something from you? Does everything have to be paid fairly?"

"That's how the world works… That's how the world supposed to work like…why do you support such an unfair world? You have to stand against it!"

"What is 'fair' in your term and why do you insist on it so much?" Eli asked.

Nozomi sighed heavily again, a tear threating to escape from her eyes. She quickly grabbed Eli's hand to help her up on the horse.

"Get up!" Nozomi said angrily.

A flustered Eli got up on the horse, and Nozomi followed quickly, riding away her horse in silence.

* * *

The Village, dusk;

Kotori returned with her horse, and quickly heads to the stable,

"Ah! Here we go, Kotori-chan! I've been waiting for you all day!" Honoka said.

"Honoka-chan!" Kotori greeted.

"Umi-chan said she over a couple of potions to Maki, since she mentioned going on a trip to the city with Hanayo-chan, Rin-chan, and Niko-chan… but if you don't approve of it, she is willing to replace it..." Honoka said.

"Ah, I'm fine with that, after all, they will probably need them…" Kotori replied.

"Hehe… I thought you would say that!" Honoka smiled.

"Speaking of which though, it's close to holiday for school, I wonder if we can go on a trip too?" Kotori asked.

"That would be nice, maybe we can go to the mountains? I told Umi-chan about Love Marginal Mountain, she seems to be very interested in it…" Honoka said.

"Hmm… going to Love Marginal might be a bit little difficult without Kayo-chan, maybe we can try A-T Mountain instead? Its pretty close from here too so… I think we can give it a try…" Kotori said.

"Ah, Advance Tomorrow Mountain… I guess that will work…" Honoka said.

"Let's go tell her that then…" Kotori said.

"Yup! I can't wait for our first trip!"

A little further from the village,

A clean, beautiful beach lay on the horizon with its waves washing over the perfectly white sand. Other than the sound of the waves the place was very quiet and calm. Nozomi and Eli sat on the root under a mangrove tree, surrounded by the forest itself.

"So…." Eli broke the silences,

"Why are we here exactly?" she asked

"I really want to tell you that I really hate you, Ayase…" Nozomi said.

"I knew that… it's kind of pointless for you to bring me here…. You can always tell me that on the spot…"

"I really want to cast you away…" Nozomi said.

"So this is where you want to cast me away?"

"If I could, yes… but…." Nozomi blushed,

Eli remained quiet to listen.

"I can't do that…" Nozomi replied.

"Why?"

"Because we hate each other…"

"You don't make sense..." Eli replied.

"I hate you like I hate myself…" Nozomi said angrily.

Eli remained quiet to listen,

"The first time we fought each other, I realized that when I look at you, I'm also looking at myself, but I never wanted to admit it— because that is not what I wanted to be…and no matter how much I deny it, everyone always comes up to me and say, that I look like you and you look like me— I really hate that, you know?"

"I realized that too…." Eli said.

"Then why are you taking it so easily?"

"Because I want to break your heart, tear them into pieces, if I could… I really hate you too… just like how I hate myself… I don't want to have a heart… so I want to destroy yours as well… " Eli replied.

Nozomi chagrined,

"So that's your motive for being kind to me?"

"Yes, that is… because I know I'll never be in peace with myself… so being in peace with you is impossible as well…" Eli said.

"I see….. I see how it is now… there's a dirty trick behind your beauty…"

"And I could say the same with you…" Eli smiled mischievously.

In seconds, Nozomi suddenly swings her hand, casting all the surrounding water into ice needles, making them all pointing towards Eli. Eli remained calm, quiet in her place, she closes her eyes.

"Fight back….." Nozomi said.

Eli chuckled mockingly,

"Why?"

"Because I'm going to kill you…." Nozomi said angrily.

"Then go on, kill me…" Eli replied.

Nozomi was surprised to hear it.

"Do you not care about your life?"

"You've told me many times…. I'm just a junk….why would I need a life?"

Nozomi remained quiet… not being able to come up with a response towards the statement.

"And you already know the result of what will happen if we fought…. We both will die…. So someone has to give up…. and that would be me…."

"Why? Why do you think you have to give up?" Nozomi asked,

"Because I have nothing left…" Eli replied.

"What are you saying? You still have your comrades…"

"They will live on their own, sooner or later. They're soldiers, they know how the battlefields go… and they know my role…" Eli replied.

"What role….? What is your role?"

"I'm a Vanguard… My job is to stand on the front line and protect the others… either, one will be in the same role or one with a different role…" Eli replied.

"Then do you think by dying here will make you fulfill your role?"

"No, absolutely not…. But at least it will put my journey to an end… a journey that began from many years ago… a journey of me becoming a cold blooded mass murderer, with a mask of a guardian…"

Nozomi stunned as she heard it,

"Does that journey sound familiar to you? I hope so… because that's what I heard from everyone about you…"

Nozomi frowns deeper and she dispelled all the ice needles, then she grabs Eli's neck strongly,

"I said, I am not you!"

"You're Toujou Nozomi, I know… I've said it before…"

"I'm not joking, you idiot!" Nozomi squeezed her neck tighter; Eli just remained quiet and calm.

"I'm just saying that we are similar with each other— just look at you… your hateful eyes, your behavior, and everything else… maybe I just don't like how your mouth is dirty like a thug's mouth… but I was hoping to be able to make you stop so we can be a lot similar with each other…"

Nozomi put more strength on her hold on Eli's neck, but Eli's neck somehow still looked strong and not effected by Nozomi's grip on her.

"I don't want to be like you!" Nozomi said angrily.

"You said it…. and you've tried to change today…. But I guess it was all an epic failure, huh? Guessed so… because if I'm to be in your position, I doubt I'll do any better…"

And as she said it, Nozomi began to punch Eli's face, she continued with another punch, then again and again as Eli remained quiet.

Nozomi tried to catch her breath,

Eli smiled faintly,

"Feel better?" Eli asked.

Nozomi clenched her fist once more and lashed out another punch,

"Why are you asking me that now?"

"Didn't that make you feel better? To release your anger towards someone else…?"

Nozomi remained quiet.

"I know how it feels… because we soldiers love to brawl… it releases stress…" Eli replied.

"Then why don't you hit me?"

"Because I thought there's hope in you… I don't want to ruin it… and my arms are made to do so." Eli replied again.

Nozomi widen her eyes,

"Hope? What are you talking about?! What do I need hope for?!"

"You said you promised that you want to change… you did in a few occasions today… but not all— so I thought, even if people leave you there… as long as you remember what you promised to yourself—whatever it is… perhaps by remembering how you were almost be left to die, or perhaps by talking to your friend, or perhaps by killing me? Who knows how you will remember it, I'm sure… you have hope… and you shouldn't abandon it…"

Nozomi softened the gaze in her eyes,

"Then, what about you? Why are you not telling that to yourself?

"I told you… I have nothing left… I have no hope. So if you wish to kill me, then do it…"

Nozomi releases her grip on Eli's neck, then she sat again as she sighed.

"Then I'll not kill you…" Nozomi said.

Eli lifts her eyebrow,

"Why?"

"Because if did, no one will tell me that I have a hope… you're the first person to ever tell me that I have hope, you know… to change myself… to stop being how I am right now… everyone around me always keeps quiet about it… or they lecture me to stop, but they never tell me that I have a hope… they just leave me be…"

Eli remained quiet,

"Besides, who will be the one that is worse than me if it's not you? You should suffer, ok? So I can feel like I'm not…." Nozomi pouts as she blushes.

"You're terrible…you know that… you're an idiot… to think that you don't have hope while I do… because before that, I was the one who thought of not having any hope while you do… because your comrades really respect you and are loyal to you… while mine… of course they're my friends… but I still feel insecure about them…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed weakly,

"They're soldiers…silly… respect and loyalty is what we should expect from them…" Eli said.

"I know! But look…. If every human has a soldier heart like you… like them… then this world could've become a better place… better than a bunch of powerful friends who hides their annoyance… I know they're always hiding something from me… and I know they betray me behind my back… that's why I'm always feeling insecure… I feel like someone will stab me on my back…even if it's not planned…"

"I know a part of it is because of my selfish nature, I know that they've tried to warn me… but there has never been a soul who could hit me in the gut, throw me and slam me around, hurt me badly or attempt to break my heart… no…no one since that day…" Nozomi explained.

"Since that day? Tell me more about it…" Eli said.

Nozomi sighed weakly,

"Can I start from the very beginning? So you don't get the wrong idea of me…" Nozomi said.

"Go on, I am all ears…" Eli replied.

"The village was not as small back then… it was a very huge village, with all kinds beauties surrounding the area… maybe I could say it was more like a metropolis than a village. With all those great people, and grand markets, then with all the beautiful houses… it was very dreamy place to live in… and did you know? The school used to be the part of the village…"

"I lived there with my family….i was a happy little girl back then, my father was a genius of Magic Technology… he created many things…and he often gave me a lot of things as well… I always had a dream to repay him one day… for his kindness… then my mother used to be the headmaster of the school— she was a master of mind magic… she taught me magic and made sure to always encourage me to be a teacher like her…"

"Then one day, a giant spaceship landed on our land. We thought it might be just a mistake—because the earth had no relations with space humans ever since magic had been re-founded. So at first, we greeted them kindly, offered them our help if they needed it… making them feel welcomed… with that they lived among us for years…"

"The time when we thought they were no harm to us…. It was also the time when they attacked us from the shadows… they were in fact a group of space pirate… they've been hoarding a lot of people to join their crew and create the biggest pirate crew of all. Then one day, they finally launched their plan to kidnap people and force them to be their slaves…"

"My father and mother protected me well, they kept me inside a chest which could only can be opened from inside. There were a few small holes that allowed me to breathe and peek outside. I thought by looking at what was going on outside, I could do to keep myself safe… because by doing so, I would be able to know the positions of my enemy…. but I was wrong…. Maybe not quite wrong— I was physically safe… but not mentally…"

"I saw my mother getting gang raped by those pirates, they treated her like a whore, showing no mercy to her and worse, they gave her no chance to fight back. They tied her with chains, they swap her from time to time, spitting on her face and spouting all sorts of disgusting words that came out their dirty mouths—after they all finished, they hung her on their hook, said that they were planning to use her as bait for the great sharks…. And I saw it with my own eyes, how they impaled her with a harpoon, how they dragged her out like a worthless rag…"

"At first I was scared, I couldn't cry and I couldn't scream—Alas, if I did, they'll find me… and my mother's sacrifice will have gone waste…so I kept quiet until everything was over in the morning…"

Nozomi sighed heavily, as her eyes began to get teary,

"I opened the chest, and the first thing that I saw was—of course, blood that of spilled out from my mother… which trailed out from the room, leading to the entrance of my ruined home, then to a body— a dead body of my father. He is beaten up and I couldn't even recognize him. Luckily he had his glove attached—The glove that you destroyed… and that was the only thing was left from him… his inventions were taken away, his blueprints were burnt down, and our wealth…. All gone…"

"Then I thought, maybe…. Just maybe I could look and see if there's anything left… and…fortunately… yes… there was…. there were some people left—other than the dead ones of course, and…of course, we gathered together….telling each other about what we lost… I was only eight by then, so I didn't have any courage to talk to them— but I kept up with their plan, to recover the place…"

"Living to recover what was lost was not an easy matter; hatred and greed still existed toward each other, despite our similar fate. People are very individualistic, they often think of their own stomach than others… At that time, since I was a little girl, I thought, I would be getting a pitied from people who were older than me— but I was wrong, when I asked them for food… even just a little of it, they spit on my face, kicked me out, and punched me, said that I'm just a beggar—also some more name calling that you don't want to hear from my mouth…"

"I was treated badly… and I was forced to grow up in that environment…. But I realized that it made me stronger since… I began to search for my own food, to survive with my own hand and to live by my own roof that I had built with my own hands… thanks to my mother's teaching—my mind magic was able to keep me living until now…and thanks to my father's glove, I was able to become stronger than everyone…"

"And once again, the pirates returned in less amounts, they thought they could threaten us with just that amount— well, they were right… those people who abused me and treated me badly were cowering at their arrival… but I stood up and fought them off all of myself…"

"Since then, people often came up to me for protection, I was so proud about it… until I forgot about giving mercy to my enemies. Every time those pirates return, I slaughtered them and treat their bodies like toys, and you might even laugh at me for this but I also put heads on a stake and displayed them on the gate… I did expect the pirates to be scared— but I scared off my own people as well…"

"They began to call me a cold blooded murderer, but I took that as a compliment—and I kept on doing it….and as the time flew by, people slowly started to leave me, left me all alone…. and those pirates have never returned to the village since…"

Nozomi sighed weakly,

"And so I lived alone in that village… for two years until Kotori-chan came to me and she said she wanted to open an atelier near my place— and a home for her to stay. She said the city dumped her because she caused too much trouble…"

"In all honesty, I was really glad that there was somebody else who got dumped like me. Someone who was thinking out of the box and seeking for a freedom that would help unleash her imagination…. It's true that Kotori-chan's inventions are rather useful, useless, or very troublesome… but I always liked the way she inspired me to try to and be more like my father— and to be like her… it was fun…and I really enjoyed it…"

"I spend my days and months to do it, then after, Hanayo-chan joined us…. She was really shy back then… and was having a hard time just talking to us. The city didn't dump her, but they told her to try her luck here with her newly opened farm. She wanted to make a new rice field... and so she did, with our help…"

"We were living together for so long, growing up, Hanayo-chan opened an Inn a little later, she did it after we knew there are wonders near our place and people often stopped by our village to spend the night. It raised our popularity among the cities and surrounding villages, and some people began to move in with us too…. I was really happy that it started to get livelier again, but…."

"It also invited the space pirate to come again— and…with that, they made me go berserks like before. Once again, I slaughtered them without mercy—they forced me to show that side of me…then as I finished, I realized that…. I was…. scaring off people from that village once more… and I thought I lost Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan as well…. but they decided to stay with me…and said, at that rate… I would really need them to keep the village lively… and I really did need them as they said, but not only to keep things lively but to save me from loneliness as well…"

"I took over the school after everything was finally put in place and there were no more pirate invasions for the past a few months, then I began to teach there when I turned 19… Kotori and a few others hired teachers, who joined a bit later once after my school got acknowledged by a few other cities… which took no time at all because i amazed a lot of elders with my glove and my mind magic mastery."

Nozomi sighed,

"I really depend so much on that glove… it's your fault that I lost it…" Nozomi said.

"Your friends seem to not mind it…" Eli said.

"They say because I use it to abuse others… but I don't have any idea as to why they said so—but… it hurts me, knowing that they in fact dislike me and supports your existence…"

"Maybe it's vice versa…" Eli said.

"What do you mean?"

"They did it because they like you… they want you to see the world and stop looking at the past…" Eli said.

"Stop…looking at the past…..?" Nozomi said in awe…

"Nozomi, your problem was big… and I'm sure it's painful too… but, remember this… You're not living for the past… but instead you're living for the future— and you shouldn't let the darkness of your past keep you from seeing the light of the future, so start looking forward and leave the past as a taught lesson…" Eli added.

Nozomi began to think for a moment as she heard it, and then smiled faintly,

"Big words coming from you… have you stopped looking at the past?"

"I have… my past has nothing to do with how I am right now, because my past was a lesson and what I fear is the future… your past is what gives you that said future, but my past is something that destroyed my future… see the difference…"

"You're not making any sense… please explain it to me…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed,

"Even if I do, you'll have nothing you can do… you might be a magician and you might have a lot of friends who can create random things, but you will never be able to make me reborn as a complete human being…."

"You think magic is that simple?"

"No… but if there's a magic that could do something like that— I bet you would've already brought back your father and mother by now, telling them how you miss them… and ask them to make you a new glove…." Eli replied.

"True…. But, look at you, sure you lost your right arm… but the other parts are still human… and you're still alive…"

"No… Someone who lives for only one purpose cannot fall amongst the living… it's not living when someone is told how to live… I have nothing left; I have nowhere to go, other than to accept my fate as a soldier, as a vanguard, as a killer wearing a guardian mask…"

"Make another path for yourself …"

"I can't… I'm already broken… and there's only one open path for me."

"You're not… maybe physically yes, but please just… look at yourself…. you're still charming… you're still able show kindness, even if there's a dirty reason behind it, but you do, it makes me want to fall for you…."

Eli remained quiet for a moment,

"Time is running fast…. And our time is short… what do you think you can do?" Eli asked calmly.

"I don't know… but you said we're similar, right? Then… why don't we just try to make each other fall in love?"

Eli was totally surprised to hear it. Nozomi quickly grabs Eli's hand and says,

"Let's love each other from now on… let's stop being furious with each other…. even if I don't know about your past… I already see your future—a place where you can't see… because…. that's what you just did to me, you made me see what I didn't in my past… even if you can't see my future… I know I might not be making any sense to you right now… but… listen…"

Nozomi sighed,

"Maybe … if we start to be in love each other, we can love ourselves as well…"

"I can't stay here forever, you know… didn't we mention that we're here for vacation? We have to return to our school later… maybe the time when we can meet each other again will be in another year's time. But that is if we even decide to come here for vacation again… or actually, it'll be another year before I graduate… maybe I'll be only be able to see you when I'm on free schedules since I'll be a real soldier by then."

"Do you have to be a soldier? You know if… if our love story runs smoothly, you can always stay here with me… and you don't have to be a soldier…"

Eli widens her eyes in shock…

_Wow….just…wow…. I haven't thought about this before…._

She said in her mind.

"That's what I meant about a choice of another future … you can be my support… there are so many things you can do here if you happen to not have a choice in your homeland…" Nozomi said shyly.

"You're right…why I haven't thought about that before…" Eli smiled at her,

"That also means you have to help me change— so I can be different from who I am right now… and who you used to be as well…"

"Who I used to be…?"

"Yes… you must change too… because now you know you have another choice—and you absolutely need a heart…so don't break mine, ok? It's no longer because you hate me, it's because you truly love me…."

"I…I don't know about that…" Eli smirked,

"Don't worry, I'll make you fall in love with me! I'll impress you! So love me for real, ok? So we are lovers from now on…"

"W-what?! Wait! Wait! A few minutes ago we're enemies then suddenly we're lovers? What kind of love story is this?!"

"It's a love story! Just say yes!"

"You're deciding on your own here!" Eli protested.

"You'll enjoy this…trust me… this is the future you can't see…"

"W-What?!"

"Hmm…what should we do as a start…." Nozomi began to think.

"Wait-wait! How could this conversation lead us here?! This escalated way too quickly! Let's be friends first or something…"

"Too mainstream! You have to think out of the box…"

"What?! What do you mean too mainstream? We don't always match with each other, ok? We have to see if we do first then maybe later we can decide if we're truly fit to be lovers or not! We could always be stuck as best friends too!"

"Too slow! You need to advance quickly or you'll be left out!"

"I-it's not about that, silly! I mean…Look! Enemies… then suddenly Lovers? You're skipping four stages! Even the crappiest love story doesn't advance that far! There are acquaintances, friends, good friends, and then best friends!"

"Stop asking about my logic! You have to start loving me from now on!"

"What?!"

"Let's just go home! And this time you have to hug me when we're on the horse back! Be romantic!" Nozomi said before she stood up and hastily pulled Eli away with her.

"W-wait! Do you even listen to me?!"

* * *

**There peoples. I hope you enjoy it~**

**See you next chapter~**


	8. Spiritual Power!

**So here is next chapter.**

**Thanks again to Crimson for helping me with editing!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! Love them all! Please do more~ lol**

* * *

Kotori's workshop, Morning;

Kotori was busy with her cauldron, while Honoka worked on cleaning all the equipment's, as Umi walked in to the workshop,

"Morning, Umi-chan!" Kotori greeted.

"Ah! Umi-chan! Morning! You fell asleep outside last night…I was about to wake you but you seemed to be in deep sleep…" Honoka said.

"Uhm….yes….I had…a very strange dream last night…" Umi said.

"Strange dream?" Kotori wondered,

"Yes…I saw…Eli hugging Toujou-san on horse back… they…really looked like a couple in love… I think I was shocked and lost consciousness…" Umi said.

"W-what? That's a weird dream… I mean…for Eli and Nozomi to act like that all so sudden…" Honoka said.

"Yes… it's really weird…." Umi said as she touched her own forehead.

"There-there… It might have happened, you know… I already see the chance of them falling in love…" Kotori said.

"Uhm…. then…I should go warn Toujou-san to not fall for Eli's charm before it actually happens…" Umi said.

"Why?"

"Because we're here for only a month and a half before we actually leave, plus there's also a chance that we might not return… besides, Eli is more likely to play with someone's heart…and we just don't want anything like that to happen to a person like Toujou-san…" Umi replied.

"So…she is a player?" Kotori asked.

"Yes…" Umi said sadly.

Kotori remained quiet for a moment before she turned off the fire under her cauldron, and walked to the sofa, taking a seat.

"What's wrong, Kotori-chan? You don't look well…" Honoka asked.

"I'm just a little confused; is Ayase-san two-faced? Because… last time I was talking to her… she told me to tell Nozomi-chan to think about it… and I thought, 'ah' Ayase-san is so caring…I totally thought that she would be faithful… if the love story was ever to progress…" Kotori replied.

"I'm sure that's what we should be careful of… but I don't know, Eli is pretty tricky to deal with… she is persuasive at times, but also hot headed at other times, she is good at acting too. To be honest, I don't actually understand her even after we spent years together… there are times when she acts like she is about to betray someone but turns out to be loyal … and at other times when she acts loyal, she's actually doing the complete opposite." Umi replied.

Kotori nodded slightly in understanding,

"I see…" she stood up,

"I'll go meet her and talk to her about this…" Kotori decided.

"Then I'll go as well, I need to talk to Eli too…" Umi said.

"What about me?" Honoka asked.

Umi and Kotori turned to Honoka.

"Hmm…."

* * *

Toujou's residence, morning;

Eli lay on the sofa as she stared at the dull ceiling above her; she could smell something being cooked in the kitchen and decided to go check it out.

Meanwhile Nozomi was currently trying to cook scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Ah, Ayase, good morning…." Nozomi said cheerfully.

Eli soften her gaze towards her,

"Morning…Nozomi…" Eli greeted back, somewhat shy.

Nozomi blushed slightly,

"Is it that weird…?" Nozomi asked.

"It's awkward…" Eli replied.

"Let's start to use greetings from now on, ok? So it becomes less awkward…"

"If you think that's necessary…" a shade of red formed on Eli's cheeks,

"Do you read books?" Nozomi wondered.

"Yes, in my tablet. We don't have actual books in Terra, so we just purchase digital copies or download a temporary file from the library… there also times when a copy of book is only available in a special edition tablet, those ones are good for collection…" Eli replied.

"I see…." Nozomi replied, somewhat feeling a little guilty.

"You destroyed my tablet, didn't you?"

Nozomi nodded weakly.

"It will cost me a lot to get a new one…" Eli sighed.

"Sorry…I…I was angry…" Nozomi replied as she placed the scrambled eggs on a plate.

"Let's put that aside, I know what you did to my ship and to my belongings. I went down to your garage and tidied up everything… you know you're very gross and unorganized for a woman…" Eli said matter-of-factly.

"Sorry…." Nozomi replied with an apologetic look.

Eli sighed and smiled softly,

"Let's try and fix that before I have to go home…" Eli said as she approached the dining table and took a seat on the chair

Nozomi nodded weakly.

* * *

After a while,

Eli found herself smirking at the breakfast Nozomi prepared, it was far from perfection. Everything was served sloppily; the scrambled eggs looked terrible, it was oily and there were pieces of broken egg shells mixed in with the eggs, the bacon looked burnt, and the rice—well it looked more like porridge than anything else…

"Ah, I got too much water on the rice today…." Nozomi said shyly.

Eli was still smirking as her eyebrows began to twitch,

"But I guess that's fine… I'll eat…" Nozomi took her spoon.

Eli quickly grabs her hands.

"Nozomi…." she called her—somewhat her voice become heavy,

"Ayase?"

"Is this… how you eat every morning?" Eli asked,

"Uh, no, sometime it turns out well…"

Eli clenched her fist.

"Nozomi…. you…." Eli doesn't look happy.

"E-Eh? Ayase?"

Before Nozomi could do anything, Eli quickly made Nozomi drop her spoon, and carried her away from the kitchen,

"A-Ayase?! Wh-where are we going?! Wh-where are you taking me?"

Eli remained quiet as she kept walking,

"Ayase, put me down… this looks like you're about to rape me! Kotori will be angry…"

Eli kept quiet as she moved on until they reached the underground garage.

"Ayase? What are you doing?! Answer me!"

Eli was still quiet until she reached Maki's ship… then decided to put Nozomi down.

"Stay!" Eli said angrily.

Nozomi started to get flustered.

Eli opened a door on Maki's ship, and pulled down a bed along with a few machines.

"Get on the bed…" Eli said.

"E-Eh?! B-but this is just our first day…" Nozomi said.

"I said, get on the bed!" Eli said angrily.

Nozomi stood still in confusion, until Eli got impatient and grabbed Nozomi as she placed her on the bed.

"W-wait! Ayase! If we're going to do it, please be gentle, ok?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Eli said angrily before she strips Nozomi off her clothes.

"D-don't be too rough! I'm a virgin!" Nozomi said.

Eli remained quiet as she began to equip the machine wires against Nozomi's skin. She fiddled with the machine and waited for the screen which appeared after a moment.

Nozomi still looked oblivious to what was actually happening.

"Just like what I expected…." Eli frowned,

"Eh?" Nozomi tilts her head,

"You have high cholesterol!" Eli said angrily.

"W-what?" Nozomi raised her eyebrows,

"Look! Look at these results! You're very unhealthy! Even though you have no problems with body weight, these results tell me that you're planting a silent killer inside your body!" Eli yelled, Nozomi turned at the screen—she had no idea as to what was written, there were too many numbers and texts filling the whole screen.

Eli looks somewhat frustrated,

"So…. What should I do?" Nozomi asked.

Eli slams her hand on Glass Garden, the ship that remained in place next to Beat in Angel,

"You'll be on a diet from now on… I'm not going to leave space for agreement, but I will certainly make you go on a diet!" Eli said.

"D-Diet?" Nozomi wondered,

"Yes! Diet! Now tell me, where do you dispose spoiled food?"

"Uh…to… the pig farm? Hanayo-chan owns one…"

"Then let's throw that food away and I'll make you a new breakfast!"

* * *

The village, morning;

Kotori and Umi walked to Nozomi's house,

"Uh…I wonder how I'll start the conversation…" Kotori said.

"I don't know, but let's just try to make it more like a suggestion than a command, ok?"

"Y-yeah…. I'm a little nervous though…. I hope it doesn't cause them to fight again…" Kotori replied nervously.

Then as they were about to knock on the door, they could hear a faint yelling from inside the house…

"That's….Eli…" Umi said.

"They're at it again huh?" Kotori sighed.

"Probably…" Umi said.

They both sighed before they decided to open the door on their own and let themselves in.

As they entered the place, they started to hear clearly about what the yelling was all about…

"…..where do you get almond nuts?" Eli asked angrily, as she sat on the seat across Nozomi while writing on a piece of paper.

"Uh…should be found around Advance Tomorrow Mountain's feet…" Nozomi replied, while eating a bowl of vegetable porridge which actually she found somewhat delicious

"Alright… then does your friend have red rice?"

"Yes, she has all kinds of rice…"

"Good, that will be your rice stock from now on!"

"What's the difference?"

"A lot! Go look for it in the book or on the internet …"

"We don't have internet here, only the city has them…"

"You should have internet! Make your own satellite or something; you are an engineer too, right? Don't tell me magic technology doesn't let you use internet!"

"We can, but… we need computers too…I don't have such things…"

"Then get it!"

"We need to go to the city for that…"

"Then we should plan for a trip there later! But now, you'll have to go on a diet, hear that?"

"Yes…"

Umi and Kotori watched them in awe.

"Now, next, you have school today?"

"No…. it's the weekends…"

"Great, I want to gather these ingredients…" Eli said.

"You can ask that off of Hanayo-chan's workers instead… it will take a few days but they're pretty good at getting items…"

"I want these items in this house from today on! You're not going to eat greasy food again for a while!"

"Aaah! What about meat?!"

"You'll eat fish! Every person in Terra breeds them in their personal tanks! Fishes are very healthy!"

"But…I want meat!"

"Nozomi!"

"Aaaah! I want meat!"

"No! No meats until you lower that cholesterol! You want us to be lovers right? Then that is what I'm going to insist as your lover! You have to be freed from the danger of getting a stupid heart attack!" Eli yelled.

Kotori and Umi remained baffled towards everything they heard.

"Fine! But make sure you made good food for me, ok? You're my chef from now on!"

"Of course! You will also have to exercise every morning!"

"Being healthy sucks…" Nozomi pouts.

"That's because you're not healthy to begin with! You could've eaten anything you wanted, if you had kept your food balance in check!"

"I told you I live alone! How would I know?!"

"Excuses! I'm not listening! No matter what is it, your health is priority!...and I'll make sure you're following the routine before I return to Terra…"

As Eli finished, Kotori politely knocked her knuckles against the wall, getting both Eli and Nozomi to direct their attention towards the unnoticed guests.

"Sorry to interrupt…" Kotori said.

"What's up?" Nozomi asked.

"Ah, it just that…I wanted to ask about something…" Kotori said.

"What is it?" Nozomi asked again.

Kotori take a deep breath,

"Ayase-san, do you—…"

"Eli, do you want to get almond nuts? It's a coincidence that we're going to Advance Tomorrow Mountain this afternoon…" Umi cuts in before Kotori could finish.

"Oh…sure… that would be nice…" Eli replied.

Kotori flustered,

"Then..uh, Eli, can you also make us weapons later after Maki returns from the city?" Umi asked.

Eli turned to Nozomi.

"Go on use my workshop if you need to…" Nozomi replied knowingly.

"Alright…hmm..wait…when did Maki go to the city? She didn't tell me anything…" Eli said.

"Yesterday… she wanted to tell you, but you were gone until late night. She has gone there with Hanayo, Rin, and Niko…using Toujou-san's car" Umi replied.

"Ah, so that's what was missing from my garage, I've been wondering what was missing before.." Nozomi said.

"You should keep track of your belongings from now on, silly…" Eli said.

Kotori began to realize something as Eli commented.

"Nozomi-chan never cares about her belongings, which left us taking care of most of her things …" Kotori said.

Eli frowned.

"Is that so? Then I'll make sure to teach her a lesson about it…"

"Why are you suddenly caring about all this…" Nozomi started to pout.

"Because you said you want to be my lover, so that's what I do to the person I love…"

"I'm starting to regret this…" Nozomi pouts more.

"So, then let's break up" Eli said.

"Yes! Let's!" Nozomi pouted even more.

"W-wait! Wait! You two! Why does it feel like you're treating this like a game?! For a moment there I thought you two were really trying make up for everything!" Umi flustered.

"Y-yes! You're already committed, so you two are lovers now!" Kotori said.

"But we don't fit each other…" Nozomi puffed up her cheeks at Eli.

"N-Nozomi-chan! You have to listen to Ayase-san from now on! She is going to change you for sure!" Kotori said.

"Y-yes! Eli! From now on, you shouldn't just let her go! Don't play with other's heart again! You have to truly love her, for this one month and a half!" Umi said.

"But she doesn't want to be loved…" Eli half pouted and threw a frown towards Nozomi.

Causing them to both glare at each other intensely.

"Y-You two…." Kotori began to worry.

"Not girlfriends!" Nozomi and Eli both cross their arms and turn theirs faces away from each other.

"I'm lost…" Umi said.

"M-me too…." Kotori agreed.

With that the room became quiet and awkward.

"I…I guess we should leave for now…." Umi said.

"U-Uh….yeah…" Kotori said.

"B-bye…." Umi said before she and Kotori left.

Nozomi and Eli began to steal glances at each other,

"That's too bad… I was serious when I said I wanted to give you another choice for a future…" Nozomi said sarcastically.

"Yeah—that's too bad…I was about to treat someone like my princess…" Eli replied back in the tone.

They both remain quiet for a moment…taking in each other's statements…causing them to finally turn to each other.

"If I'm to be your princess, what will you be for me?" Nozomi asked shyly, as her a hint of red coated her cheeks.

"A prince, a butler, a warrior, a slave, anything you want me to be… I just want a place to live in…" Eli replied.

"Then I want you to be my treasure and my keeper…" Nozomi replied.

"Then I'll be that for you…. now finish your porridge, then let's start learning a few things around the house…before we go gather up the ingredients that I want, ok?" Eli said.

Nozomi softly nodded.

"Be gentle…" she said as she blushed.

"Only if you obey the rules…"

Nozomi smiled sweetly,

"So we're girlfriends again?" Nozomi asked playfully.

"Yes…. You're my girlfriend…" Eli sighed.

* * *

Outside,

Umi and Kotori sighed weakly,

"I don't get them… it's really confusing… are they really going to be alright?" Umi asked.

"I think we should stop interfering with them… they'll do fine without us…" Kotori replied.

"Really?"

"Yep… I've considered something, your warning included, but…. there's something a player won't do to someone who are going to get dumped later…" Kotori said.

"You sure?" Umi asked.

"Yep, I'm sure…and I believe Ayase-san is not planning to do anything bad to her… There's something else that I could see there…not sure how to explain it, but let's just leave them on their own from now on…" Kotori said.

"If you say so…" Umi replied.

"Ah! Kotori-chan! Umi-chan! Everything is ready and put on carriage! Shall we head off now?" Honoka asked as she pointed to a carriage stacked and filled with their belongings, along with Kotori's horse in front.

"Yup, this is just going to be a quick trip to introduce Umi-chan to the AT Mountain, we will go again for real exploration during our vacation time…which should be the week after next week…" Kotori stated.

"Ah, ok…" Honoka replied.

"Then… let's get on the carriage! I can't wait to show Umi-chan the jumping mushroom!" Kotori said somewhat excitedly

"J-jumping mushroom?" Umi began to fluster.

"Yup! You'll see later!" Kotori giggled.

* * *

The road, morning;

Inside the car, Maki woke up from her slumber, groggily she turned her sights to see Rin and Niko still asleep near her—but someone was missing. She looked around to only find sand and stone hills surrounding the area, along with a hot concrete road. Turning her sight to the back, she found Hanayo watering a withered plant with their drinking water…

"W-whoa?! Ha-Hanayo! What are you doing?" Maki asked— a little panic.

"Watering a plant…?" Hanayo replied innocently.

"T-That's not it! I mean… why are you doing that? You know our drinking water stocks are very low…" Maki said.

"Oh…" Hanayo smiled sweetly.

"Don't 'Oh' me! This is serious!" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled,

"Then I guess that will be what I ask to the nature..." Hanayo said.

"W-what? What are you saying? The desert is still too big to be finished! We won't have any water stock before we reach the city and we still have to get through one more dry land!" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled again before she crouched to the dry plant.

"Did you hear that? Please grow up fast, ok?" Hanayo said sweetly to the plant.

"H-Hanayo! Aren't you listening to me? That plant won't—…."

And before Maki could even finish, the plant suddenly grew into a coconut tree before her very eyes.

Maki was completely dumbfounded.

As the tree grew a couple of coconuts on its branch—somehow… it threw the coconut on Maki's head. The coconut cracked open as it came into contact with Maki's head, allowing its water to gush out and soak the girl.

"There… don't be mean to Maki-chan, she isn't a bad girl…" Hanayo said to the tree.

The tree grew more coconut then carefully placed it on the ground next to Hanayo, it continued doing so until a stack of coconut were placed neatly.

"Ah… these will be our stocks of water…" Hanayo said.

Maki nodded, as her lower jaw hung loose.

"Thanks… I hope the rains will come to you later…" Hanayo said as she gently pat the tree.

And the tree nodded.

Hanayo giggled sweetly; as Maki was still unable make sense of the situation.

"Remind me to never question logic from now on…." Maki said.

* * *

Forest of Shadows, afternoon;

Eli and Nozomi walked through the forest— it was dark and cold, trees were growing really big and animals lurked around every corner… Eli was wearing a new set of clothes, white shirt, black trouser, dark leather jacket, blue cotton scarf and dark boots along with dark leather gloves while Nozomi was wearing a black blouse, dark purple long skirt, brown fur jacket, black leather boots and gloves. A Bag set on Eli's shoulder,

"N-Nozomi… are you sure this is the right place? Because….it's…kind of dark here…" Eli said—somewhat nervously.

"Yup, I'm very sure, I used to travel to this place alone when I'm a little…" Nozomi said.

"Oh….uh….I ….I see…" Eli replied.

"You don't sounds well, are you cold? I know it's cold here…" Nozomi took a quick glance at Eli.

"Well-uh…The space is a lot colder than here…so… no…. it's not about that…" Eli replied.

"Then, is it because it's dark?" Nozomi asked.

"H-Huh? No….No…I'm not scared of the dark! I'm a soldier!" Eli said.

Nozomi squint her eyes at Eli.

"D-Don't look at me like that!" Eli said in panic.

"Ayase…. you are….." Nozomi began to approach Eli.

"No! No! You got it all wrong! I-I'm not scared!" Eli moves backward.

Nozomi smiled at her mischievously.

"I see…" Nozomi chuckled,

"Then…." Nozomi grabs Eli's hand.

"Let's go into the depths of the forest!" Nozomi said before she pulled Eli into a run,

"W-waaaa! N-No-Nozomiiiiii!"

* * *

The road, afternoon;

Maki drove the car as Hanayo, Rin, and Niko watched the view outside.

"Hnn….somehow-nya… this car is moving very smoothly… the change of speed is flawless-nya…unlike when Nozomi-chan drives it…" Rin said.

"Really? You're flattering me… this is nothing, you know." Maki said.

"Maki-chan, you're really good at a lot of things-nya!" Rin said.

"Huh? I thought I was the less skilled one… especially among my seniors…" Maki said.

"Ah, I suppose Sonoda-san and Ayase-san are very skilled like you too?" Hanayo asked.

"Heh—you should start calling them by their names instead, they won't give a damn about how you're going to call them…. but anyway… yes, they're very skilled…" Maki replied.

"Hmmph! There are more meanings from the word 'skill' itself, you know…" Niko said.

"Huh? I might have an idea about how shitty the logic is going to be, but go ahead and say it… I'll hear you out…" Maki said flatly.

"What do you mean by shitty logic?! My logic is flawless…" Niko said.

"Ye-uh! Sure… and I still don't want to be a pirate by the way…" Maki said.

"The heck? I haven't even said anything yet!" Niko yelled.

"Maki-chan, question, are you okay to say bad words like that-nya?" Rin asked.

"Eh, Eli and Umi aren't here… besides, I'm talking to pirates… so I don't need to watch what I say…" Maki replied.

"Hmm… Maki-chan, don't you feel bad for doing that? Like… your words are what reflect you… the moment when you say those bad words, you're also showing how dirty your mouth is… It's not cool." Hanayo replied.

"Yeah I know, Eli and Umi often lecture me about it… but anyway, can I just add that little girl as an exception? I kind of like talking to her like that…" Maki said.

"Ye-sure, I don't mind…W-wait! Who are you calling a little girl?! I'm older than you!" Niko said.

"Eh—I mind nya… you shouldn't say that-nya…" Rin said.

"Eh-duh! Come on! We're pirates! We won't look tough if we don't use them…" Niko said.

"Try telling that to Umi, or Eli… they will totally hit you and tell you to show your might to them…" Maki said.

"No…thanks… they look kind of powerful…" Niko said.

"See? That excuse won't do it… to tell you the truth, the reason why I sometimes enjoy saying something like that is because I often talk that way with my workers, trying to get in their group and joke around with them. It feels strange when I talk to them politely…" Maki said.

"I never talk like that to my workers—my workers are the one who follow me to talk politely…" Hanayo said.

"I suppose so— but guess what? I'm just trying to be down to earth with them. You don't have to follow that, I understand you should keep your respectable image, but you know, respect doesn't just come from how you talk—it depends on how you appear to them…" Maki said.

"That's deep-nya… but yes, I agree! We don't have to talk like lowly thugs to look tough-nya!" Rin said.

"I'm totally taking it in another way, but fine, let's not talk like that again…" Niko said.

"Why did you become a pirate anyway? I've heard reasons from Rin, but I haven't from you…" Maki said.

"Huh? It the same, except it also because I want to unite the two worlds… we've been in a cold wars for too long you know? I want them to see that we can unite and make a better living with each other." Niko said.

"Eh, we both have different ways to see the world; I totally can't see that happening…" Maki said.

"Yet we got along, right-nya?" Rin said.

"To be honest, I can't say anything about that, we just got along for a few days— we might not be the same later…" Maki replied.

"Then, let's just try visiting the city first and see how you do with the social life there… I believe it will be a lot different than in the village…" Hanayo said.

"Yeah, I'll need that…" Maki said before she stepped on the gas.

* * *

The depth of the shadow forest, afternoon;

It was getting darker as the forest began to get colder. Nozomi kept pulling Eli who has been protesting about the darkness,

"N-Nozomi! I can't see anything you know!"

Nozomi giggled,

"You don't need eyes to see! I'm here for you, Ayase!" she said teasingly.

"W-wha…? N-Nozomi! Where are you even taking me—…" Nozomi suddenly disappeared from Eli's view, releasing the grip on each other's hands…

"Nozomi…?" Eli was extremely flustered,

And began to look around.

"C-Come on! D-D-don't play this prank on me!" Eli begged.

No response.

"I'll be angry, you know? Sheesh…" Eli said,

Still no response,

"F-Fine… I'll go home anyway…"

And as Eli turn around…

She saw Nozomi standing behind her, black fogs surrounding her body,

"No-Nozomi?" Eli as flustered as she was, softly called her name in question.

Nozomi smiled mischievously before dashing towards Eli, pushing her through the darkness, Eli began to panic and she closed her eyes—as she came close to crying.

"N-Nozomi!" she yelled as she kept getting pushed.

Nozomi kept laughing until they finally stopped—with Eli on the ground and Nozomi sitting on top her.

Eli carefully opened her eyes in caution,

There was a light shining down on her,

Nozomi looked down and smiled at her,

"It's over, Ayase… you're safe now…" Nozomi said playfully.

Eli's eyes slowly scanned around the area, they were on a small round garden with a giant spotlight right above it, there was a big tree with a swing attached to one of its branches, with a small wooden bench sitting right next to it.

"W-where…is this?" Eli asked.

"This used to be the village's playground… my father often brought me here…" Nozomi replied.

"Oh…"

"But this place is no longer what it used to be; now it's just filled with shadows and creatures of the darkness…"

"I can see that…."

"…but I'm glad this place is still bright and lovely in the daylight, I thought it would get overwhelmed by the shadows as well…" Nozomi said.

"How do these kinds of things happen?" Eli asked.

"Uncontrollable Magic and Summons… Sometimes people can't stop themselves from doing what they're not supposed to do…" Nozomi replied as she leaned her body closer to Eli. She began to brush her hands against her shoulder,

"This place is one of the wonders we have around… but there are not many people who come here since the chance of finding something precious is lower than the risk rate of being here… it's hard to see in the dark, at least for those who can't embrace it…" Nozomi continued.

"Did you?" Eli asked.

"Me? I embraced all elements in this world. This is where I was born and grew up…" Nozomi replied, her face was slowly somehow getting closer to Eli's face.

"Because, if I didn't…. how would I have been able master my mind magic…?" Nozomi continued as her voice began to soften.

"Tell me more about magic, there are so many things I want to know about it— even if I can't grasp them…" Eli replied, her voice also began to soften into a whisper. Knowing that they were getting more and more closer to each other.

Nozomi giggled sweetly,

"What are you saying? You already have magic…. A magic that I can't take control…." Nozomi said.

"What do you mean?" Eli smiled faintly,

"Oh—you know what it is… you're just pretending to not know or perhaps, maybe you really don't know… because you've been living without looking at the mirror…. Without knowing about how charming and beautiful you've grown into… even after when someone called you a piece garbage, you just went and accepted it… because that's what you think about yourself…"

"I've seen myself in the mirror countless amount of times… and I couldn't find any beauty in myself…"

"I would say the same about myself… but you promised me to be my keeper, right? So you will make me feel valued…?" Nozomi strokes Eli's cheek.

"Then I promised to be your treasure… so I promised to make myself more valuable to you…." Eli said softly.

Nozomi giggled before she rolled off to the side placing her head on Eli's left arm.

"You know, you're doing badly as a girlfriend. You should try to be a lot more passionate and aggressive towards me… show me how you charmed those girls that you played with in the past…"

"I've never reached this point…" Eli replied.

"So you just killed their hearts with eye glances and whispers?"

"Honestly, yes… I've never been this close with a girl… I don't like them…" Eli replied.

"Then, what are you seeing me as and why are you willing to be with me?"

"Hmm…a woman? Because you're not like them? You don't stick yourself with a group. You can stand on your own without depending on others… That's pretty much why I think I can stay around you…"

"Aiming for intimacy, are you?" Nozomi asked teasingly.

Eli chuckled,

"Not quite… to be honest there's also another reason … you're also…. unique and attractive… you're powerful too and you amazed me in our first encounter… hmm… I still can remember how gasoline and ethanol smells like on my body…not to forget about those ice needles..."

"And I still remember how that fist felt like when it made me cough up blood throughout the whole fight… you're amazing too… Ayase…" Nozomi replied.

"So we amaze each other?" Eli asked playfully.

"Pretty much… don't you feel glad that we're lovers now?"

"I...I don't know…I still think it's too quick… we skipped the friendship phase…"

"Who needs it… I already have plenty of people that fits to be my friend—I want you to be different… if we are not lovers, then we're enemies… So I can do anything I want to you…"

"I still don't get you…" Eli chuckled,

"You don't need to understand, if you're lost, just follow me…. and trust me that I'll lead you to something fun…just like this place…. Don't you think it's amazing that a place like this still exists around all this darkness…?"

"I didn't expect that, yeah…"

Nozomi giggled,

"While you were not expecting this place, I was not expecting to see someone almost cry because she was afraid of the dark…. That was too much for a tough looking soldier like you…." Nozomi said teasingly.

"I-I'm not scared!" Eli replied.

"Sure-sure… but tell you what, Ayase? That's just part of you… and you should accept that fact…" Nozomi replied.

"But I wasn't trained to accept that kind of fact… I have to fight my fears no matter what… The battle field knows no mercy—and I have to survive in it…"

"So you really do fear of the darkness…!"

"W-wha? F-fine… yeah…I do…" Eli said as she pouts,

Nozomi giggled,

"That's just what I want to hear from you…"

"Sheesh…" Eli smirked.

Nozomi giggled again,

"I'm really happy to know this, you know…. at first, I thought that I'll be the one who would always get pampered, but I think it wouldn't be fair if you're capable of doing everything on your own while I'm not…but then again I realize… we're similar after all… if I were you, I would try to hide that part of me as well…"

"…and you failed to hide your weakness from me last time…" Eli said.

"Then you came up to me to help me fix it…it was embarrassing, but I had to deal with it…" Nozomi replied.

"So I guess I'll have to deal with this too….?"

"Yes…of course… let's complete each other… I'll teach you what you don't know… and you teach me the same… I'll be your guide when you're lost, and you'll be my guide when I'm lost…."

"Isn't that just what lovers do?"

"Really? I thought the whole 'lovers' thing was just a status where you can start touching each other, then perhaps have sex behind your parent's back—wait… I don't have parents…not anymore" Nozomi said playfully.

"You're joking about yourself…" Eli chuckled,

Nozomi giggled,

"I can be sillier than that, but do you know, in all honesty, it's just my excuse to tell you…. How I really want to show my true self to you— but at the same time I want you to show yourself as well. I know we both act tough in front of others… you can keep doing so, but just don't act tough in front of me…"

"Then let's do it… but I know it will be hard… it's still embarrassing after all, yes?"

"Let's Just try your best to not hide it… and…if you ever want to do something to me… you should go for it— I want to be the source of your comfort…" Nozomi said.

"R-really?" Eli quickly shot up.

"Hmm…what suddenly made you get all hyped up, do you actually have something you really want to do to me?" Nozomi asked,

"Yes!" Eli said—somewhat excitedly.

"Then go ahead do it…" Nozomi said.

And without a second to lose, Eli grabbed both of Nozomi's breasts….

"Harasho! This is very exquisite!" Eli said as she started to rub them.

Nozomi looked very surprised.

"Ayase…. you…"

"What? I really like these! I've been staring at them for a while now! I've never seen it to grow as perfect as this!" Eli said as she pouts cutely while she kept on rubbing it with her hands.

"You have your own and it's perfect too, maybe slightly smaller…but….Ayase…..seriously?"

"These are perfect on you…and…you have a cute face too, that somewhat looks mature as well… I love it… This is the quality I have always wanted! It's very rare, you know! In my homeland at least…"

Nozomi couldn't reply to that statement,

"Ahhh…These are real woman breasts…I finally can touch and feel it…" Eli said as she began to rub her cheek on Nozomi's breasts.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment,

"Ayase…. can I start calling you with a nickname?" she asks as she watches how playful Eli looked.

"Go on…"

"Ericchi….I've been wanting to call you that, but never found a chance to ask…" Nozomi said.

"Then call me with that… I don't care about how you call me…"

"Alright then….so…." Nozomi took a deep breath.

"Ericchi, do you want to see a trick?" Nozomi asked.

"Sure…" Eli replied.

Nozomi smiled playfully,

"Hug me tight… and place your head on my breasts…." Nozomi said.

"Ah—with pleasure!" Eli said as she did what she was told.

"Then…?"

Nozomi grinned playfully,

"Spiritual Power!"

And suddenly Eli recoiled just slightly away from her.

"Eh? I guess I need more power for you… it supposed to be able to recoil anyone within 2 meters range back to 6 meters range… but you only recoiled like 10 centimeters? Tough one aren't you…" Nozomi said.

"You make peoples fly with your breast?"

"No, silly, it's actually a manifestation from air element, except I used my inner energy as well...I discovered that magic on my own..."

"Harasho..."

Nozomi giggled softly.

Eli kept quiet as she still enjoy her soft breasts…

"What do you think of that magic though? It's mind magic too…"

Eli smiled brightly,

"Harasho! They bounce!" she said excitedly.

"Ah! You like it!"

Eli hugs Nozomi tighter as she can feel her breasts jiggle,

"Harasho! Harasho!" she rubs her head on her breasts.

"Then, since you're happy… I'll do that again!" Nozomi said playfully.

"Yes!"

"Spiritual Power!"

"Harasho!"

"Again?"

"Yes!"

"Spiritual power!"

"Harashooo!"

"Spriritual power!"

"Harashoo!

"Spiritual power!"

"Harashooooo!"

* * *

The A.T Mountain, Night time;

Honoka, Kotori, and Umi reached the area around the A.T Mountain, it's a very lush mountain with forest around it.

"So this is A.T Mountain…" Umi said.

"Yup, as you can see, it's surrounded by forests…and…if you could feel magic, this place somehow strengthens you, it's the opposite of Love Marginal mountain where it would somehow drain you off your energy… Only a few mages can survive there and Kayo-chan is one of them…" Kotori explained.

"A mountain that can somehow drain a person's power… That sounds interesting…"

"Hmm…not quite… that mountain is just simply a place with a lot of gems and crystals. There's this one crystal type that is able to prevent magic to be casted, also one that can drain powers… then also the useful one…" Kotori replied.

"Ah, the prevent magic one… doesn't that mean it could be used as an Anti-mage weapon?" Umi asked.

"Sadly, yes, and we can't destroy them… a lot of pirates have often gone there to mine them…and were using it to rob from the city… that's why the city started to train some magic swordsman to counter them… but honestly, as long your magic level is higher than those crystals, then it shouldn't be a problem… Nozomi-chan's magic level is really high and she can duplicate it with her glove… but since the glove is gone now—I doubt Nozomi-chan will be able to overpower them later.." Kotori replied.

"Hmm….that makes me want to try and travel there….maybe I should ask Eli to go with me…I believe she will be very interested to investigate it…" Umi said.

"I hope you're not planning to make a weapon to fight against us…" Kotori said a little sadly.

"Honestly, I do… but, shouldn't be a problem, right? You just need to outwit us… you also have a crystal that is able to enhance your power, right? Then make it so you can fight against us…" Umi said.

Kotori remained quiet,

"But, wouldn't it be hard? I mean… I don't think Nozomi-chan will approve of you doing that… and I believe she'll keep watch of Eli at all the times?" Honoka said.

"True, but still, why prevent yourself to advance for the better? I mean, instead of just saying no to a problem, why not find the solution? You can't dodge from problems all the time…" Umi replied.

"What do you think, Kotori-chan?" Honoka asked.

"I'm still trying to think of how we can outwit them if they're using the prevention crystals as their weapon…" Kotori said.

"Eh? You don't need to think so hard about it yet…" Honoka said.

"You should think about it… Honoka…." Umi said.

"E-Eh? But I'm semi-mage, so… I'm not sure about the problem you're facing… I can always change modes if I need to…"

Kotori and Umi widen their eyes as Honoka said it.

"Change modes….?" Umi questioned.

"She means like switching from physical to magic and vice versa… but—" Kotori said.

"That's it! Yes! That's it! You're brilliant Honoka!" Umi cuts in.

"W-wha?" Honoka flustered.

"E-Eh?!" Kotori flustered.

"We should go back now! I need to talk to Eli—like very soon!" Umi said.

"W-what? B-but, we just set our camp like… 1 hour ago?" Honoka said.

"Tidy up! Let's go back!"

"U-Umi-chan! C-calm down! We need to rest first!" Kotori said.

"Y-yeah! Let's take a break!"

"Don't be lazy! A warrior never gets lazy!"

"B-but I'm not a warrior!" Kotori said.

"Then I'll go back myself…" Umi said.

"W-what? N-No! No! Umi-chan! Wait!"

* * *

The road to city, night time;

Maki sat on a stone in front of a camp fire, Hanayo, Rin, and Niko already fast asleep on their own portable beds.

Maki closed her eyes, resting with half of her mind awake to make sure that they're all safe…

Suddenly, she could feel one of them moving.

Maki opened her eyes to check.

Maki kept her eyes on Rin who eventually turned herself around and woke up…

"Uhn…Maki-chan? You're not asleep yet-nya?" Rin asked.

"Eh? You're all asleep… who will be on guard if it is not me?" Maki said.

"The Nature will nya… Kayo-chan is their friend-nya…" Rin said.

"Huh? Well…okay, but…it just doesn't feel right for me to just sleep while no body is on guard…I'm a soldier… but anyway, why are you awake?" Maki asked.

"Uhn…. Because… It's getting a little cold nya…" Rin said shyly.

Maki watched Rin in silence for a moment; she noticed that Rin's skin began to looks somewhat pale.

"Then, come closer... rest on my shoulder…" Maki said.

"Eh? I can-nya?" Rin asked excitedly.

"Yeah, I don't want you to catch a cold, we're close to the city and it will be bad if you can't enjoy the city because you ended up getting sick…" Maki replied.

Rin quickly moved like a worm along with her portable bed, then rested her head on Maki's shoulder.

"Ahh! So warm-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Just don't drool on my shirt, ok?" Maki said.

Rin was already fast asleep.

"T-that was fast…." Maki said.

Then suddenly, someone popped up between her legs, and rested her head on Maki's belly as she warped herself with the blanket she brought for herself.

"T-The hell?" Maki protested.

"What? I also need warmth; you don't want me to catch cold-yes?" Niko said.

"Don't just randomly pop up! That's dangerous you know! I could've hit you!" Maki yelled.

"Pffft! Soldiers don't get surprised you know…" Niko said.

"What the heck?"

And then suddenly someone else rest on Maki's other shoulder.

Maki turns towards her,

"H-Hanayo!"

Hanayo smiled sweetly while she kept her eyes closed.

"Sheesh…fine…." Maki sighed.

Then Rin and Niko began to snore…

"D-Don't snore damn it!"

* * *

**There, that's it for now. See you next chapter! Spiritual Power!**


	9. The Pure Hearted

**Sorry for the slow update~**

**went to date yesterday~**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**Also thanks Crimson for the hard work~**

* * *

Toujou's residence, morning;

"Yup, all set now…" Eli said in satisfaction, placing her hands on her hips, looking into the organized refrigerator with pride.

"You're very energetic today… does resting on me make you feel happier?" Nozomi asked suggestively as she sat on the sofa that was placed close to the dining table, she lay down with her shirt half open, a pillow under her head and a blanket covering her bare legs.

"Maybe? But I really am feeling great today… what about you? I suppose you're not used to sleeping on the sofa? Especially with someone else…"

Nozomi giggled,

"What are you talking about? I'm used to sleep under a tree with leaves, pebbles, branches, and worms under me…" Nozomi replied.

"Worms? That's….disgusting…" Eli replied.

"I freaked out at first— but no one cared anyway… so later I just kept quiet and bathed myself at the nearby river, turns out they had leeches… and the next thing I know, I found myself running to the sea to get them off me…" Nozomi replied.

"Wow, that must've been tough…"

"It was…"

"Now you have a home— so you better stay clean… plus, I already fixed a lot of the mechanisms in your bathroom so they should be functioning properly now. I hope you already touched your bathroom in the past few days… unless you want me to clean you up with hygiene waves."

"Hygiene waves?" Nozomi wondered.

"It's something we use to bathe. Umi's ship has that function, we usually use that to clean up after ourselves or help the wounded soldiers bathe before their medical process, when we set up camp in a planet, for war… best part is, you don't even need to strip off your clothes so there's no actual need for privacy when using it…" Eli explained.

"Tell me more about your daily activities, why do you set camps on another planet?"

"We set up, sometimes to do our survival tests, keep our supplies… or lower the number of surprise attacks from other creatures. We're always traveling across galaxies, not just here wandering around the earth. We often have spaces pirates attacking our ships, and they don't just come from one planet either, there are many planets, so they could be coming from anywhere… so, we're not just dealing with one kind of creature…" Eli replied.

"By creatures, do you mean, monsters?"

"You know Nozomi, humans aren't the only intelligent creatures around the galaxy… they're not monsters, maybe they are for you, but they really aren't, they have a spoken language, knowledge, and a civilization. I would rather call them aliens…" Eli replied.

"Aliens, like you then?"

"Exactly… but to be honest, the one you should call a real alien is Umi, she wasn't born from humans that lived on Earth… she was born from humans who live in another galaxy."

"She was?"

"Yes, I don't really know the difference but, she seems to be pretty tough herself. She can eat almost anything and will not get sick or have bad side effects in her body…" Eli replied.

"Interesting…"

"See? There are so many things for you to learn out there… I'm surprised that you didn't know, I expected you to know a lot more since pirates are pretty much those creatures, who come from many places… they united their power for crime." Eli said.

"Don't you ever wonder why we don't unite power for safety?"

"Simple, because our people never agree with each other... I've read a lot about Earth and they're very biased… I'm not sure about the earth's opinion, but I bet it must be something bad as well…." Eli said.

"Not really, but it's more like a silent propaganda where everyone is suggested to think the way they are told, about your people…and honestly, before I knew you… I've had the same mind-set, but… now thinking back; it was silly of me to hate someone because of the technology they use…"

"I'm sure it's a cold war… to be honest, I really want to know more about Earth— I hope you're willing to help me research about it…" Eli said.

"No problem, as long you promise me to help me learn more about your people as well…"

"Fair trade, but before anything… let's decide on what breakfast you should eat today…."

Eli began to look at the menu that she prepared last night.

"Eggs and Bacon…"Nozomi said.

"No…. It will never be something fried again from now on, soo-let's go with steamed vegetables…" Eli said.

"You don't have any sense of delicious food…"

"They're tasty, I can guarantee it…"

"They smell…"

"You haven't tasted my cooking! Just stay there and I'll cook, ok?"

"I'll go sleep again, 'night Ericchi…" Nozomi said before she hid under her blanket.

"Whatever, but I'll make sure you eat these…"

"Aaaaa…I want bacoooonns! Ericchi you idiooooot!"Nozomi shouted as she covered her face with the pillow.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing, go on cook…"

Eli sighed heavily, before she started to cook.

* * *

The City, Morning;

Hanayo, Rin, Maki, and Niko finally arrived to the city. The red-head turned her sight up, it was a very big place with trees and buildings mixed into one, with bronze pipes connecting on the corners of each building, classical brown roofs cover the top, decorative patterns hang on the sides of every wall that could be seen. Maki couldn't say a word as she tentatively kept her eyes on every detail.

Without her realizing, Niko started to pile all the baggage onto the red-head, making her carry everything from the shoulders down, to her hands, yet Maki remained quiet, accepting them all.

She followed Hanayo, Rin and Niko who began to take steps into the city.

They stopped as they saw a soldier-like person, a male wearing eye goggles that were made out of leather and green glasses which glowed, as it began to scan every one of them.

"Name your occupation, Miss red head…" said the soldier.

"A wandering bard…" Maki replied.

"Very well, but remember, we know what you keep in your head, if there's a chaos—you'll be the first person we suspect…" the soldier said again,

Maki looked very surprised as a response towards the statement.

"T-Thank you, sir! We're heading in!" Hanayo quickly said before she beckoned Maki to follow.

They walked around in to the city, Hanayo felt somewhat nervous, as Rin and Niko were flustered, Maki walked with a frown on her face, stealing glances around her surroundings.

"Wh-what's going on here nya?" Rin whispered.

"Yeah, what's going on?" Niko asked.

"They know something…." Maki said.

"Y-yeah? But what?" Niko asked.

"It's…. nothing… let's just take a quick look around and get out of the here…" Maki said.

* * *

Toujou's residence, morning;

Eli prepared the breakfast, as Nozomi sat on her seat, browsing around for what she was going to eat this morning— to her misfortune all she could see were vegetables and none of them, fried.

"Here... you should eat them…" Eli said.

"But, there's no meat in here, where do I get my protein?" Nozomi asked.

Eli placed a glass of milk in front of her.

"There. You get it from there…" Eli said.

Nozomi puffed her cheeks into a pout, then she took her glass, drinking its contents— it was tasty, she had to admit, but it was strange,

"What milk is this?"

"Soy milk… this is what will replace your protein…"

"But this isn't as tasty as meat…"

"No— No meat! Absolutely not with that much cholesterol in your body!"

Nozomi pouts at Eli.

"Eat your meal! Stop complaining!" Eli said.

"Ericchi is merciless!" Nozomi said.

"This is for your own good. So You better do as you're told!" Eli said as she took a seat in front of Nozomi and began to eat her breakfast. The purplenette kept pouting as she also began to eat her meal— surprisingly for her, the vegetables were actually delicious.

"This taste good…" Nozomi said a little shyly.

"I know, right? I'm a good chef…" Eli said proudly.

Nozomi giggled,

"And here I thought someone said she can't do anything else but kill…" Nozomi said with a hint of tease in her voice.

A tint of red makes it way up to Eli's cheeks,

"Sheesh… you made me feel so stupid for being that broody…"

Nozomi giggled,

"We all have that moment … Don't worry… I'm embarrassed too for being like who I was…" Nozomi said.

"Let's just eat up, ok? You'll have to do a few exercises later… anything on your schedule?" Eli asked, a little nervously.

"No… it's still weekend, so no schedule… you can have me for yourself all day…" Nozomi said— a little shyly.

"W-what…I…I don't want to have you for myself all day, I believe you have another activity to do…" Eli said.

"W-well…I…." Nozomi paused.

Eli remained quiet as she kept eating her meal.

"Sheesh…. I thought it would be easy to say… I was doing so well last time…" Nozomi whispered.

"What is it?" Eli asked.

"N-nothing… never mind…" Nozomi continued.

The room became awkwardly quiet as both of their face drowned in red and silently ate their meal.

* * *

The road to village, morning;

Umi and Kotori discussed about many things while Honoka remained lost in their conversation, they were all sitting on their carriage, heading towards the village that was no longer far from their current location.

"…so basically, if we could get this mechanism to work, we will have a weapon that will be able to negate magic—but if we replace the crystal with the enhanced one, we will have a weapon that will enable us to cast magic…"

"Umi-chan… In my honest opinion, I feel like this is nothing different than a regular staff— except it's a sword… but magic swords have already been invented long time ago— and that's what most magic swordsman use these days…"

"I know, but look, what if we can change modes? We can have both weapons merged into one, allowing us to use magic and negate them as well…"

"Uhn… But this group of people, the Crusader's, already made something similar, except it's a shield that's able to both negate and cast a spell. … so the sword wouldn't be that impressive…" Kotori stated.

"Uh, right… I suppose so…"

"I'm still trying to brainstorm for something…" Kotori said in thought

"I kind of understand Umi-chan though; she might want to make something like a bow to protect her from magic… not just a sword and a shield…" Honoka said.

"Y-yes! That's what I meant!" Umi said.

"Yeah, but that will only benefit her, right? If we ask that off of Nozomi-chan, I bet she won't agree to make something it since it won't bring any benefit the mages and the mechanics for it isn't that new either… so I'm trying to brainstorm for something that is a lot more impressive— something that can catch her eye and make her feel interested." Kotori said.

"I wonder about that as well… to think about it, I believe it won't be much of a challenge for her either to make that kind of a weapon… she is already an expert on creating them…hmm…." Umi began to think as she put her fingers on her chin,

* * *

Toujou's residence, backyard, morning;

"I didn't know you had a backyard and urgh—why does this place stink so much?…" Eli scrunched up her face, waving at the air near her nose to get rid of the smell, but it was futile.

The backyard was filled with tall grasses that looked like it hasn't been cut…ever; unused rusty appliances were placed in every corner, it was a wonder if any of them still even worked. Old wood and cloth, along a lot of spider webs stuck against the tall wooden auburn fence covering up the whole place.

"You want a big place to exercise, right? This is the right place…but…you'll have to clean it up first…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed heavily.

"Fine, I'll rearrange this whole place, but make sure to exercise later, ok?" Eli said.

"No problem…" Nozomi replied leaning against the wall as she watched Eli start to clean the area.

The blonde lifted up a couple of appliances, carefully dividing them into groups. As she worked, Nozomi kept her eyes on Eli—she had never realized how the blonde looked a lot more attractive when working, especially when she saw how her sleeves were caught in a structure, showing off those delicate muscular features, her skin which she had seen before turned into an charming shade of tan, not too dark, not too light, but just perfect enough to make the purple haired girl want to touch that delicate smooth skin,—knowing that she had missed her chance before while being occupied by her curiosity of when she found out about the blonde's mechanic arm, but if she ever were to touch it again….

What reason will she have to say if asked?

She can't possibly say that she wanted to touch it,

Maybe a playful approach will make her less embarrassed, just like before

But, what if she couldn't hold herself?

She knew that there's a beauty that she has been looking at,

And she really wants to know more of it.

Fortunately for her, an idea came across her mind.

Nozomi smiled mischievously,

"Ah, while you're cleaning up the backyard, maybe I should go work on the laundry…" Nozomi said.

"You're willing to do that? That's very are…" Eli replied.

Nozomi giggled,

"I told you I want to change, so I'll do just that…" Nozomi said.

"Make sure you're doing that on a daily basis from now on, ok?" Eli said.

"Yup—but before that, do you want to… wash your current clothes? I know you only have one set…would be bad if it gets too dirty…"

"Ah, it's not going to be a problem, I'll clean it with the hygiene waves— it can last for about 2 months so, it should be enough..." Eli replied.

"Hmmn… that's not allowed you know, you could save up the refill if you wash your clothes here, right? Because after all, you'll need to replace your tablet…. so…. I want to help you save your resources by doing it…" Nozomi said.

"Is that so?"

"Yup… it is…" Nozomi replied.

"Then, let me take my shirt off…" Eli was about to unbutton her shirt, until…

"Ahhh! No-no… let me get that off for you…" Nozomi said as she quickly approached her.

"Huh? Why?"

"Hmmm…we're lovers, right? So I want to be romantic with you…."

Eli smiled softly,

"Very well then, go on…" Eli said.

Nozomi smiled excitedly, and began to trail her hands around Eli's hips, her fingers slowly finding its way to the button. While unbuttoning Eli's shirt—Nozomi started to gently grope around the blonde's body, feeling every curve, and the smooth porcelain skin under her hands.

"I hope you won't mind if I take a little detour…." Nozomi replied,

"Not at all, you let me touch you the other day so I guess its fine…" Eli replied.

"Ah—then, if I do this….." Nozomi brushed her hands up to Eli's breast, massaging it gently.

"Hmm…That's fine too I suppose…" Eli replied.

Nozomi giggled, slipping her hands inside the latter's shirt, touching her bare skin, exploring Eli's smooth muscular feature…

"Do you like it?" Nozomi asked.

"I hope you're not planning to jump to another stage from here— we haven't even had our first kiss… but if you want this sort of thing then….I…I don't know. I mean…I know I tried to rape you before, but that was without respect…." Eli blushed, lightly scratching the back of her head

"So you're saying, now that we're lovers, you lost your will to do that sort of thing?"

"I…still like your breasts and I'm totally fine with touching them… but that was just a playful…uh…thing… but…um…about the real thing…I'm…I'm not so sure… we are both females, but…even then…. aren't we going a little too fast? With this this whole love…relationship thing… I mean…" Eli said.

"Nope, it's fine… we're lovers…we can do anything we want with each other… and being the same sex benefits us as well —even if we end up getting wild tonight…no one is going to get pregnant, no need to add that in the list of responsibilities…. I believe you agree…right?"

"That's not quite the point…Nozomi…I think you're taking the whole 'lovers' idea wrong… It's…hard for me to explain… but… basically…. You need to slow down… let's….get to know each other slowly… it's not that I don't want to touch you but, this…uh… sort of thing…is a lot more complicated."

"What's the difference, I don't get it… either way, I've seen you naked, I've touched you, and you've done the same, I even let you see part of my body has to offer…"

"Oh–come on, we were in a different situation… this is why we shouldn't skip the friendship stage…but..uh, let's say this… are you doing this sort of thing to your friends too?"

"I give them a breast rub they never forget if they're getting on my nerves… but I never touched anywhere else…"

"I see, then I suppose it's not going to be a valid argument, but…maybe… let's just ask this… When you said 'Let's love each other…' what is this 'love' you're talking about? Is it just an excuse to be able to touch each other? Why did we get into this 'lovers' status so quickly? What are you planning and expecting from me?"

"That's what I want to know … I don't know how to describe love… I don't know how it feels to be in love… and I certainly don't know how it feels to be loved…. So I want to know… and I found you to be a perfect teacher for me…because we're similar…and we used to hate each other just like how we hate ourselves… I think you're someone who can understand me… a lot more than the others…"

Eli smiled faintly,

"You know… If you're aiming for this kind of intimacy, we can do it without even being in love… because love and lust are two different things… Sure I'm not experienced, but I've read enough novels to know how things go… if you like, I can try to show you what lust is tonight…" Eli said.

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise, but make sure to lock all the doors ok?"

"Hmm… why? Do you mind if someone else knew that we're up for that?"

"Firstly, yes, because of…Kotori—with her electric shock…thing.., second… I don't want my comrades to know that I'm…doing this kind of thing….to be honest…I…I really want to try it…I have always wanted to try it… but, it's always hard for me to actually do it even though it might be easy for me to find partner…"

Nozomi giggled,

"They won't mind… as long we're not doing it in front of them… they won't care about me anymore anyway….or maybe…us…." Nozomi said.

"If you say so…" Eli sighed weakly.

Nozomi giggled again,

"Then, let me fix your shirt and save all the fun for later…" Nozomi said as she buttoned up Eli's shirt.

"Huh? So the 'cleaning my clothes part' was just an excuse?"

"Mmm… nope, I was really going to clean it, but…if I let your body exposed right now, wouldn't that ruin all the fun?"

"Good point…." Eli replied.

Suddenly someone came by,

"Nozomi-chan! Where are—…"

Eli and Nozomi quickly turn arounded, both were still very close to each other, and Eli's open half-way.

"Ayase-san….Nozomi-chan…." Kotori frowned.

"T-th-this is not what it looks like!" Eli quickly said.

"Eli…. Are you being sexually harassed again…?" Umi asked sadly.

"N-No! No! It's nothing like that!" panic could be heard in Eli's voice as she waved her hands around fervently.

Sparks began to charge around Kotori.

"W-wait! Wait! Kotori-chan! C-Calm down!" Nozomi waved her hands in panic.

And before they could say anything more ….

Thunder overwhelmed their home…

* * *

The city, restaurant, afternoon;

Maki, Niko, Rin, and Hanayo sat near the window, having finished their lunch,

"Ah…that was as good as ever nya…" Rin said, completely satisfied with the meal.

"Yeah, it was great… Now it's time to order some dessert!" Niko said before she pulled out the menu.

"You're small for a glutton…" Maki said.

"Flatterer! I'm just born cute and awesome… I knew that…" Niko said proudly.

"Glutton isn't a compliment you know…" Maki said.

"Nah—you're just jealous…" Niko said.

"Whatever…" Maki replied.

"But, Maki-chan, you eat a lot too…" Hanayo said.

"Eh? Uh….well…I'm…I'm a soldier… I need energy…" Maki said nervously.

"Hehe, yup, by eating two bowls of Jumbo Ramen-nya! So healthy!" Rin grinned.

"T-there! Don't tease me!" Maki protested,

Rin and Hanayo giggled, Niko remained busy with her menu,

Then suddenly, they overheard a mother scolding her son,

"….if you're not doing well at school, we will have to throw you into space so that the space humans can turn you to a slave!"

"….But I really can't do Ice magic!" the boy cried.

"You have to learn! Your grandfather is a master of ice magic, so you have to be able to do it!" the mother insisted.

"I want to learn nature magic!" the boy cried again.

"What? Nature magic?! Why are you? You're not going to learn it! It will turn you into a sissy man!" the mother yelled.

And the boy continues to cry.

Maki sighed,

"I don't know which one bothers me the most, the fact that they think we enslave people or the fact that they relate magic element with gender…" Maki said, looking not so amused.

"Uhn… well, some people are like that. They're very insisting about what their children should learn at school and using any kind of reason to stop them from learning what they want. Even though it just requires having mage's blood running inside to learn magic, it still takes love to learn it… There are also a few cases where they have the passion and permission but have no teacher to teach them properly… not every school provides a proper teacher , most of great mages prefer to go on adventures than teaching, that's why Nozomi-chan's school is famous, because they provide lesson's towards all magic elements." Hanayo explained.

"I've never seen Nozomi's magic…." Maki said.

"Honestly, I can't really explain that, but… Nozomi-chan is a mind mage; she had to learn about a lot of the elements before could gain control over them. The other problem is that her magic really depends on the surrounding environment or on other mages around her— including enemies… it's a very difficult and tricky magic, but it's powerful…" Hanayo replied.

"Eh—somewhat reminds me of a specific cartoon show, but nah, that's probably just a coincidence…" Maki said.

"You watch cartoons-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, they're cool…" Maki said.

Niko chuckled,

"…hnn… that can't be… a soldier watching cartoons?" Niko said mockingly.

"Eh? I told you it's very cool… and it not a kid's show!" Maki said.

"Cartoons are a kid's show…" Niko said mockingly.

"Hmmmnn...Niko-chan, you're often watch that pony cartoon every morning too, right-nya?" Rin said.

"E-Eh?! No! My siblings are the ones who watch that!" Niko said.

"But Honoka-chan said she saw you dancing and singing along with them even when your siblings weren't watching-nya…" Rin said.

"N-No!"

"How was it again?…Uh..like… Friendship is Magic-nya?" Rin said plainly.

"No! It's like— Friendship is Magic!" Niko danced along with a melody.

"So you did watch it…." Maki said.

"NO! I DIDN'T!" Niko yelled.

"Hehe…Niko-chan, no one is getting fooled by that…" Hanayo said sweetly

"I said, I didn't watch it!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, afternoon;

Hours passed by in a long lecture,

"….you two understand? Having sex in your early days is not allowed! You must respect each other! Hear that? Respect! R-E-S-P-E-C-T!" Kotori yelled out to the two, sitting in front of her.

Eli was already fast asleep, while Nozomi nodded weakly with her sleepy eyes.

"Touching each other's breasts or any other sensitive part is also not allowed! They're precious! You have to value it as a human being! Remember, Value it! It's a treasure! T-R-E-A-S-U-R-E!"

Nozomi nodded again—close to falling asleep.

"Nozomi-chan! Don't sleep! Listen to me! I'm really angry!" And Kotori shocked them both with electric sparks.

Both the blonde and the purplenette jolted awake in an instant.

"Y-yes!" Eli and Nozomi replied urgently.

"Ok, let me repeat…. You two—! You two shouldn't have sex, it's too early! You have to love each other first or you will regret it! Don't have sex without knowing if your partner is your perfect soul mate or not! Sex is addictive after you try it, and it becomes a need! So don't do it before marriage! Marry your partner first— then you can do whatever you want! And if you're married— you have to stay loyal to them forever! Don't switch partners!" Kotori lectured them.

"But I'm sure Ericchi will be my partner—Eternally! My cards said so!" Nozomi said.

"Huh-what? Cards?" Eli flustered.

"Nozomi-chan! No matter how good your mind magic is— acting just because your card said so is not wise!" Kotori frowned.

"W-wait! Wait! I never heard anything about cards!" Eli said.

"That's because you've never been to my bedroom— you should by my bedroom tonight Ericchi!" Nozomi said suggestively with a wink.

"W-what? What are we talking about?" Eli becomes more flustered.

"Nope! Ayase-san! You're going to sleep at Kayo-chan's Inn tonight!"

"Nope! She is sleeping here!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nope! Nozomi-chan! You must think about it again! Do you really love her? Or are you just trying to find an excuse to use her as someone to satisfy your own needs?" Kotori frowned.

"I'm still working up to love her, even though she was almost getting me worked up with the exercise!"

"Then love her for real first! Don't just jump into something! Show her that you will really do it! Not just because you want to use it as an excuse!" Kotori said.

Eli remained quiet, feeling very confused.

"I really will do it—let me do this in my own way…" Nozomi said.

"What is your own way?! Are you going to make her your slave or something?!"

"No! We promised each other! It will be always a fair trade!"

"Promising and trying to be fair is not what you call love… Love doesn't work that way…" Kotori said—somewhat very concerned.

Eli seems to agree.

"What do you know about love… you're not an expert about it… have you fallen in love with someone? Have you gone on a date with them? Have you felt it? You were dumped by the city, like me, you've never been loved either… " Nozomi said.

"Nope, I've felt a lot of love in my past… I'm not like you and didn't I always tell you, that I wasn't dumped? They were just worried about me having to pay my neighbor all the time for the damage that I caused while experimenting— they did it because they loved me… and my mother told me to go because she wants me to be free to do what I want…." Kotori replied.

"What if those were just excuses…?"

"They're not…and I'm saying it because I realized it myself…"

"You're just too innocent…" Nozomi replied.

"Nozomi-chan! We're at it again! I know you're worried about us and I know you care! But tell you what? We did a lot of things because of you too!" Kotori cried.

Nozomi looked surprised as she saw tears coming out from Kotori's eyes.

"We did it—because we want you to know that you were loved… and that you're not alone…" Kotori continued.

The room became very quiet, other than the quiet sobs from the crying girl,

"But you went ahead and threw yourself away…. never once realizing that we were always here for you…."

Kotori and Nozomi stared at each other, sharing sad looks,

"Nozomi-chan…. treasure yourself a little….will you? You're not a piece of junk…please don't do this…" Kotori said before she stormed out of the house. Umi who has been asleep quickly woke up as Kotori passed by her,

"K-Kotori!" the bluenette called after her, quickly going after her.

Nozomi remained quiet; her thoughts all jumbled up with so many things…

Eli sighed weakly and without another word, she hugged Nozomi who has been sitting in silence.

"So I was right…" Eli whispered gently.

"They value you as well…" Eli continued.

"They're really too innocent to understand…" Nozomi replied as she also began to cry.

"I have a feeling that you're the one who needs to learn more about the world… including myself …" Eli said.

Nozomi blushed slightly.

"Is that what you think?" Nozomi asked.

"Yep, that is what I think…" Eli replied.

"Then I'm glad you can put my mind at ease…I could've said a thousand reasons to deny it…" Nozomi said.

Eli kept calm and hugged Nozomi tighter.

"Ericchi, are you going to do what she said? To sleep in Hanayo-chan's Inn instead…?" Nozomi asked.

"I want to respect your friend's opinion, because she pointed out something that I agree with…" Eli replied.

"Then I guess that's that…." Nozomi said.

Eli smiled faintly at her,

"Let's think about it once more, ok?"

* * *

Kotori's workshop, afternoon;

Kotori sat on the sofa between Honoka and Umi.

She has been crying softly as the two stroked her back gently— trying to comfort her.

"Hey….was it you and Nozomi-chan again?" Honoka asked.

"Are they always going to be like this?" Umi asked.

"Hmm… yeah… it takes a while for me to understand them, but it seems that Nozomi-chan always brushes her off when she is trying to reason… it didn't happen just once or twice, that how it's always been, between them… then Kotori-chan would cry like this for hours ..." Honoka said with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"Hnnn! Honoka-chan! I don't cry for hours! It's just a few minutes!" Kotori protested.

"Oh—ok, few minutes…" Honoka replied sheepishly.

"Nozomi-chan never wants to listen to us— even back then when my mother was here, and when Kayo-chan's parents were here too, she always-always made distance from everyone and was only willing to communicate with us once they left. It was really hard at first—and I was always end fighting with her too… I was close to leave her but then Kayo-chan came to soothe me and tell me that we should stay…" Kotori said.

"You know, it kind of reminds me with myself and Eli. We both always fought for an ideal, and then Eli would brush me off, leaving me in a very bad mood. Eli is not exactly a disciplined person—but she knows how to be one. She is more of a free-thinker and could act against the law if she thinks it's necessary, while I'm always that person who obeys the rule no matter what. We just can't get along… But…. after I was forced to team up with her, I began to realize that she was actually a good person—and a little simple minded, except she has a bit of wild side that I often tell you about. That's also because of her bitter past…" Umi said before she sighed heavily,

"But…to be honest, I realize that we can't actually leave them alone, knowing that they both are… uh… a little… experimental. We still have to make sure they're on track…" Umi continued.

"Hey—I'm not sure about what this is actually about, but… don't you think you're all taking everything too seriously?" Honoka said.

"W-what do you mean?" Umi asked.

"Not sure, but I just don't like this atmosphere…. You should take it easy…" Honoka said.

Kotori turned to Honoka,

"But what if she goes to a wrong place? I've been too soft on her this whole time; Kayo-chan has been too soft on her as well…" Kotori asked,

"Then let her, it's her life. Let her do whatever she wants— what's important is that you're here to support her, right? That's how it has been…it's already getting better now… I'm sure time will change everything…" Honoka said.

"I'm not sure what to say, but I think you're taking life too easily—but…at the same time I think your advice is somehow the wisest one right now…." Umi said.

"Eh… really? That's just how pirates live their life…" Honoka replied.

"yep—that's it… I'll be a pirate!" Kotori said.

"W-wa-wa! Wait! Kotori-chan! If you become a pirate, you'll surely be Nozomi-chan's nemesis…" Honoka began to get flustered

"I'm joking… but… in all honestly… life has been too much of a burden for me— I just want to enjoy my fluffy pillow right now…" Kotori said before she stood up from the sofa.

"Then, you're going to take a break?" Honoka asked.

"Yup— you two want to accompany me? Extra love and warmth would be nice…" Kotori said

"W-what?! T-three of us?!" Umi blushed madly.

"I'm going to get some cookies and bread! You go on first, Umi-chan!" Honoka said.

"W-what? What? T-This is shameful things! I thought we agreed that this is shameful things to do! We don't let Nozomi and Eli do it—why are we doing it?!" Umi protested.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Honoka flustered.

"Yeah, what are you talking about, Umi-chan?" Kotori flustered too.

"N-N-Never mind! I'm just overthinking some things!" Umi replied nervously.

"Ah, alright, then if you can, please prepare the tea… I'll go get my pillow and prepare the seats for the three of us…" Kotori said.

"Woo-hoo! Tea time is always the best with cookies and bread!" Honoka said excitedly before she left.

Umi took a deep breath,

"Oh—so that was a tea time….why am I thinking that way?"

* * *

The City, School of Magic, afternoon;

Maki, Rin, and Niko stayed around the school hall, while Hanayo went to talk business with a few teachers,

"Hmmm…I'm bored-nya…." Rin said as she stared at the ceiling, happening to see a few candles, which floated around the school halls, pass by her eyes.

"Yeah—so boring here… so quiet, and so nothing to do…" Niko said, her eyes looking at the paintings all over the wall.

"Breathe… that's something to do…" Maki said— her eyes glued on a dusty old piano.

"Haha...very funny…" Niko said sarcastically.

"I forgot to breathe nya! Haa—Ha—Ha—Ha—nya…!" Rin said before she pretend to be out of breath.

"So funny, you two…ha-ha-ha-ha…I'm dying of laughter….zzzz…." Niko said sarcastically again.

"That's called getting along with jokes nya, it's not fun if you're taking things too seriously-nya…" Rin pointed out.

"Oi, Maki, you're a soldier right? Entertain us…" Niko said.

"Yeah—sure, we are soldiers, we dance naked with our weapons in our nose— The Hell you think we are?!"

"Huh? Aren't soldiers meant to protect and to keep people happy?" Niko said.

"No— you little thing, we're not that kind of soldiers… I wonder what soldiers you're even talking about anyway, the one that you see in Nutcrackers Fairytale?"

"Stop calling me a little thing, you red head, I'm older than you!"

"Doesn't matter, you're small…" Maki said.

"That's not nice-nya, but its ok, its Niko-chan anyway…" Rin said.

"No kidding…."

"H-hey! Have some respect, you ass!" Niko yelled.

Hanayo came up to them after a while,

"Sorry for the wait, are you all bored already?" Hanayo asked.

"Aaa! Kayo-chin! I'm hungry-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah, we are!" Niko said.

"I….I'm fine I guess…" Maki said.

Hanayo giggled,

"Maki-chan, do you want to play the piano?" Hanayo asked.

"Eh…Uh….sort of…" Maki replied.

"Then why don't you do that while we go and get some food?" Hanayo asked.

"I can?" Maki looked somewhat excited.

"Yup…" Hanayo smiled sweetly.

"But I bet I need to tune it… and clean it…." Maki said.

"Then go ahead and do have you have to, we'll be long…" Hanayo said.

"Alright— let's take a long trip-nya!" the orange haired girl jumped up in excitement taking hanayo's hands in hers.

"Let's go-Let's go!" Niko said excitedly before she led the way.

Maki smiled gently as she watched the three dispatch.

* * *

Toujou's residence, night time;

Eli sat on the sofa, with Nozomi burrowing her face on Eli's breast as she hugs her tightly,

"Ericchi…." Nozomi called her softly.

"Hm?"

"What make you think they're right?" Nozomi asked as she turned around, resting herself on Eli— her face still red from all the crying.

"First thing that I really like about them is that— they actually care about you… really nothing like me… Second, because they're not too late in helping me to realize something and third… because they actually know what love is, and fourth, they really remind me of an atmosphere that I used to love before… " Eli replied.

"Tell me about it…"

"Hmm…about the first thing… it would be a lie if I said I wasn't using the chance back then to enjoy what I really wanted to, ever since I found myself looking at… That was just my selfish desire…" Eli said calmly.

"I'm fine with that though—I like it when you touch it, you're so skilled at pleasing someone…"

"Really? I'm flattered, but anyway, the second point is that, I also realized that I shouldn't do that to you— because, knowing your background, their opinion, and your way of responding it….. I realize that you might not actually understand it…" Eli replied.

"What do I not understand?" Nozomi asked.

"About love and being lovers… Where did you get the idea of being lovers? Like… the very first idea…" Eli asked.

"Hnn…. books? Fairytales…true love between a prince and a princess…. They can get married by the first time they meet—so why not us? We started off from with the wrong foot, so I thought, I wanted to start off as lovers—one level under marriage… it's a very effective way. The real world is too slow for me… I want my "happily ever after" fast, like it is in the books…."

"I see…. then what about the part…'if you're lover, you can do anything you want, to each other?'"

"From overhearing a couple when I was walking around the village. This one guy said that to his girl… and the girl seemed to be happy about it…"

"Uhn…that just his way to get laid— but anyway… like I said, it's very wrong, you know… it's not the point of being lovers. The real point of being lovers is to understand each other and to live along aside with each other. Completing each other as well—just like what you wanted before… it's included in the whole 'lovers' thing,… so maybe— you actually wanted to be a real lover but you didn't know that this 'lovers' thing already includes everything you want …"

"So… we actually don't need to make a lot of promises?" Nozomi asked—somewhat innocently.

"No, it's already included by being committed with each other, it's simply by giving and doing your best for your partner so that you two can be happy with each other… then about the all the touching—it's the prize but it's not the main point of it all…" Eli replied.

"So…basically, I've been wanting the prize before doing anything for you?"

"Yes…pretty much…. And I did too…or maybe, just a little…." Eli replied shyly.

Nozomi giggled,

"You were hugging me like your pillow last night; you enjoy snuggling your face on my breast…."

"I know— that was embarrassing you know… sheesh… I'm so bad for using that chance…"

"It's fine, Ericchi, my cards told me that you're my perfect match…"

"What is this, card you're talking about…. I've never heard it before…." Eli questioned.

"It's a set of tarot cards— something that we, mind mage use to help decide our actions…we don't usually show that to others because our readings might be mistaken from time to time…but the stronger you become, the more accurate it will be…" Nozomi explained.

"Sounds silly for me, why decide with a card…. There will always be logic and rationality to think with…."

"Too slow. I'm not much of a thinking person … I get easily distracted…" Nozomi replied.

"Is that so…."

"Yup—that is so…" Nozomi said cutely.

Eli giggled,

"Ah well, that's fine then…. But you know what; I didn't expect you to be still a little girl at heart— knowing how dark your past was…. And the way you acted against me the first line we met…."

"I'm not a little girl! I'm a very mature woman!" Nozomi pouts.

"Sure-sure, but guess what, I'll take care of you…." Eli said playfully as she winked at her.

"Sheesh! Then I'll take care of Ericchi as well! Ericchi is the little girl who is still afraid of the dark…"

Nozomi crossed her arms and puffed her cheek. Eli giggled at her,

"Anyway… about the third point…. They really know about love…. Because they said one sentence that I really agree with…. Love doesn't have to be about fairness or fulfilling promises… and it doesn't have to start from there either… It can be started from any kind of action… as long it's sincere and for the best of each other… and doesn't have to be love from a lover… it could be family or friend's love…"

"What's love then…?"

"Hmm…. It's hard to explain…. But… Let's say… your way of trying to guide, protect, and to take care of others also includes as love…but sometimes it has to be done in hard ways… just like the way I forced you to eat vegetables for your health… and by the way—you were supposed to exercise today, but you ended up to crying and sleeping all day…"

"Ah—I was kind of hoping you forgot about that…"

"I can't forget that, you know— you really have to do it for the sake of your health… you're not exercising when you're not at school so I want to replace it with that…" Eli sighed.

"It's break time… I should be having fun." Nozomi said.

"Just spend an hour to move around, it's not going to hurt… and also, I finished your backyard while you were asleep… put all the broken machines and other a few other things into the metal crusher— we can recycle that later…"

"Yup… please continue about love—let's put that aside for later…"

"Huh? Uhm…I really can't explain it, every person has their own way to express their love…you have to get to know them first to understand…I'm not an expert, but, I think love is just something that can't be explained with words— you have to actually feel it." Eli replied.

"Then as what we promised, you will teach me about love, right?"

"I'll help you, but to be honest, you really have to feel it yourself…."

"Then, Ericchi, tell me, have you felt love?"

"That would be about the fourth point…. I had a family… and I was really a happy girl too back then…but…" Eli paused mid-sentence, feeling a small lump in her throat.

"I…. I don't think I can talk about that… but, yes— the atmosphere of being around them was somewhat familiar with what I just felt when watching you quarrel with Kotori… and maybe it's supposed to be similar with when I fought with my juniors, but I've never actually realized it until now …." Eli continued

"Then we both are suck and dull, don't you think?" Nozomi admitted playfully.

"We are…" Eli blushed slightly.

Nozomi giggled,

"Don't just agree… Silly Ericchi… I want to hint you about something too—it was: let's change our strategy…"

"Strategy?"

"Yup, strategy of learning what love truly is… You want to know, right? Tell me you do!"

"Huh? Well…. I…I'm not sure…" Eli flustered.

"This research is conducted to learn how and what love feels like…" Nozomi said in all seriousness.

"What?"

"Ok, first, we have to divide, family love, friend's love, and a lover's love…. Family love, I'll learn it from Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan…then you learn it from your comrades and report to me."

"W-wait wait…what? Why does this sound so complicated all so sudden…"

"…friend's love, we learn it from the others… then lover's love, you and me, just the two of us! We will learn how to love each other!"

"Huh? You're deciding on your own again! That's not how it works!"

"Ah—! Now that you remind me! It's night time! You said you want to show me lust tonight, right? Let's try it!"

"W-wait! Weren't you listening? We are not supposed to do that yet!"

"Eh—doesn't matter! Let's learn it! It's for research so we have to be out of the box to get the best result…."

"Y-you're stubborn!"

"So how do we start? First kiss?"

"No-no-no, that's wrong…!"

"Ah, so we strip each other first…"

"No! No! You got it all wrong!"

"Snuggle?"

"No! It's not about that! Sheeesh! You still don't understand why your friends were angry!"

"Because I wanted my prize to come first?"

"Ahh….uhhh…how do I explain this?"

"Why is it a big deal…we are both girls… and…I don't like men…. So I won't get into any trouble if I did it with you…"

"No! That's not just about the trouble! It's uh… virginity!"

"Virginity? That just means that you have to be gentle, right? Since I'm still new and tight…"

"W-what? Tight? Ah—uh! No-no, it's not just because it's still tight! Sheesh! Who taught you that?!"

"No one, I just heard it from people around me in the past…."

"D-Don't listen to them! Listen to me now!"

"You said it was no trouble since we are both girls…"

"No-No! I told you that's a whole different situation!"

"Ericchi is so wishy-washy…" Nozomi said.

"Huh? What? Wishy-washy? Is that even a word?"

"I'm still innocent and pure; you shouldn't lead a pure hearted woman like me to astray…"

"What? You said you were mature before but—Hey! That's not it! Sheesh!"

"So are you going to teach me about lust tonight?'

"G-Geez! Nozomi! Listen to me!"

"Ericchi, do you want to feel my spiritual power on bed?"

"Yes...I mean, No! No! No! Listen to me first!"

"So, shall we start, Ericchi?"

"Nozomi!"

* * *

**There. It will takes a while for the next chapters~**

**I have a few business to do...**

**Happy Valentine btw! **


	10. Silent War

**Kk, sorry for the long update, i had lots of things to do first**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows! **

**Thanks to crimson too for the hard work!**

* * *

The city, marketplace, morning;

Hanayo, Niko, and Rin walked through the marketplace, looking for food to purchase,

"Yesterday's food was so good! I wonder if we could get it again today…" Niko wondered.

"Let's buy some for Maki-chan too-nya!" Rin said.

"I'm sure Maki-chan will be happy to have some, but let's make sure to get a lot of tomatoes too, ok?" Hanayo said.

"Yeah-nya!" Rin said excitedly.

"Seriously though, we didn't expect Maki-chan to play so well, on an old Piano…it was so beautiful that even the paintings around the halls looked happy to have her there…" Hanayo said.

"Hmmph! You're just flattering her too much!" Niko said.

"Ahh… there's so many food today-nya…" Rin said as she pointed at the street which was filled with many food merchants standing from one corner to the other.

"Yeah—I guess there's a food bazaar today?" Niko said.

"Hmm…we should be careful because not all of them are healthy…" Hanayo said.

Niko let out a scoff, "Heh— you're underestimating a pirate's stomach…"

"Yeah, we can eat almost anything in the wild nya!" Rin added.

"Hmmnn…I think that's a whole different case, I was talking about how these merchants preserve their food. Some of them would use chemical mixtures for it, and I think they also add some special ingredients for the taste… so…. Let's just be extra careful…" Hanayo said.

"Don't worry-nya! We're pirates! We can eat from the dirtiest of places nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah— shouldn't be a problem for us…" Niko agreed.

"If you want nya, we can help you pick out ingredients by tasting each and every one of the foods here nya! So you know which one to pick!"

"E-Eh? Try them all?" Hanayo flustered.

"Yup! We'll be fine! But… since we're doing it for your service… maybe you can buy them for us?" Niko asked.

"Oohh! Yes, that's a good idea nya! I mean… that's the best choice nya!" Rin said.

"Uhh….Okay…then...I guess…." Hanayo smirked wryly, as her eyes scanned the whole marketplace, looking at all the food stands that were lined up on the street today.

"Then! Let's start from that one!" Niko pointed to a food stand, filled with meat; to be exact it was filled with barbequed sausages.

"S-s-sausage? Eehh! Uhh…i..it looks tasty…but..." Hanayo hesitated.

"Yeah! See? My choice is always the best… so let's get on it!" Niko grabbed Hanayo's hand,

"W-wha?" Hanayo started to get flustered as she found herself getting dragged into the crowd, with Rin also pushing the helpless girl from behind, chimed on happily, "Let's go! Let's go!"

"D-Don't push me! Aaa! S-Someone, please help!"

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, morning;

Eli woke up from her nice sleep; she stretched from left to right before she jumped out of bed,

_Ahh…that really was a good night's sleep… this bed quality is amazing…. _

Eli said in her mind.

_Can't believe Maki has been sleeping in a place like this place ever since we set foot here, what a lucky girl…_

She said again as she sat back down on the bed.

_I want to go back to sleep….._

And before she could rest back down, someone unexpectedly unlocked the door and opened it,

"Ericchi!" Nozomi called her cheerfully. Her hair was let down, coming in, Eli could see the purplenette wearing a transparent nightdress—not that the blonde tried to look, but she could see Nozomi's bra and underwear right under the cloth.

"W-waa! Nozomi! Wh-why are you wearing that outside your house?"

"Eh? I wanted to pay a visit to your new bedroom… so this is appropriate, right?"

"No! It's not! Wear a jacket or something, sheesh!"

"Ah—ok, next time then…" Nozomi said cheerfully.

"Besides! This is not my bedroom, I'm just using Maki's, Umi had given me her keys last night…No, actually, I'm just borrowing this… but argh!" Eli scratched her head in frustration.

She took a deep breath, and calmed herself down,

"Why are you here so early anyway…" she asked calmly.

"My breakfast… make it for me!" Nozomi demanded cutely.

"Oh...right…."

Nozomi puffed up her cheeks, "Don't tell me, Ericchi forgot her promise? How irresponsible!"

"No..no…I just forgot for a moment because of the bed…it feels so good…" Eli replied.

Nozomi frowned, closing the door behind her and quickly made her way to the bed, instantly jumping on it, she started to roll around.

"N-Nozomi?" the blonde tilted her head in confusion,

"Ericchi, this bed is nothing compared to my bed!" Nozomi pouts.

"Really?"

"Yup, my bed is big, fluffy, warm, and super comfortable. This is why you should sleep in my room."

"Is that so…? Are you sure it's not because you still want to try something, even after I lectured you about it last night?"

"Eh—try what? I don't know what you're talking about!" Nozomi said in a melodic voice.

"You lied…"

"Nope, I'm not lying!" Nozomi continued, using the same tone

"Then what's with that melodic tone in your voice?"

"I told you I just want to be cute… this is the new me!"

"Huh? Really? Well…that's an extreme change…" Eli replied.

Nozomi giggled,

"Believe me! So, do you want to check out my bedroom?"

Eli squint her eyes, meeting the innocent-looking turquoise orbs in front of her along with the small soft lips which smiled at her cutely.

Eli sighed weakly,

"Fine, I'll check it out, but let's have your breakfast first, ok?" Eli said.

"Yup! Cook me meat!"

"I said—No meat!"

"Eeh? But I already bought them…"

"Then I'm going to eat it…"

"Aaa! That's not fair!"

"It is fair! You have to stay with vegetables until your bad cholesterol is lowered!"

"Aaaaaa! I want meat!"

"Nozomi!"

* * *

Kotori's workshop, morning;

When Umi came out of her room, she found Honoka sitting on a seat, reading food magazines, while Kotori looked occupied by something in her oven,

"G'Morning…" Umi greeted.

"Ah, Umi-chan!" Honoka greeted back.

Kotori remained quiet as she watched her oven intensely.

"What is she making?" Umi asked.

"Eh…uhm… meat croissant sandwiches. She said she wanted to make them for lunch at school today…" Honoka replied.

"Sounds tasty…" Umi replied.

"Yep, it also has vegetables in it. It very healthy…" Honoka said.

"Oh…." Umi nodded, noticing the four empty lunch boxes.

"Four?"

"Ah—the other one is for Nozomi-chan. Kotori-chan said she wanted to make up with her… and knowing that Nozomi-chan loves greasy meat…. She wanted to make one for her lunch…"

"I see…." Umi replied.

"There's also a cheese in it, Kotori-chan loves cheeses to she will have a lot of it added inside…" Honoka said, taking a glance at the said girl.

"Hmm…that sounds very tasty…"

"Yup, also some slices of tomatoes and cucumber to give it a fresh taste…"

"Ah… that really sounds tempting… I believe it will be very delicious…" Umi said as her mouth started to slightly water from imagining the taste.

"Hehe, yup, we got ours too— we're going to gather ingredients in the nearby forest, it's going to be a whole day's task so— that's why we got that for our lunch…" Honoka said.

"Then what about breakfast?" Umi found herself asking.

"Oatmeal…"

Umi replied. "That's healthy…"

"Yup, hehe… I also got some manjuus if you want to snack on along the way…" Honoka said.

"Great, I really like your manjuus…." Umi stated.

"Really! You flatter me!" Honoka said proudly.

Then suddenly a bell rings.

"Ahh! It's done!" Kotori said cheerfully with a hit of excitement in her voice, as she opened the oven door with her thick glove, pulling out the tray that contained the croissant breads. Both the bluenette and ginger turned their sight towards the said object.

"W-wow…." Umi and Honoka were astonished as they saw how perfect the bread looked. The colors of the croissants were a shade of brown which rested in the middle of light and dark, indicating that it had toasted properly. The size and the shape remained the same— as for what it felt like, well they haven't touched it but from how it looked, the croissants gave out a soft feature and looked mouth-melting. There was no doubt as to how delicious this sandwich will turn out to be.

"Hehe, Ultimate Quality! I'm getting better at this…" Kotori said happily.

"Y-yeah….that looks even better than Eli's cooking…." Umi admitted.

"I'm an expert on baked foods! Hehe…" Kotori said proudly.

"Now, time to let it cool down first?" Honoka asked.

"Yup, then we should slice them…add everything else! Hmmm…I can't wait for lunch time…." Kotori said.

"Good luck…" Umi said.

"Yup! Hmmm…let's fry the bacons and meats…."

Honoka looks somewhat excited,

"W-wah! Bacons! Nyum! This is really going to be an ultimate sandwich!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, Morning;

Nozomi enjoyed her breakfast— fried red rice with salmon chops, an egg and some other small cut vegetables,

"This is delicious…" Nozomi said as she finished her meal.

"Listen, I already spoiled you with today's breakfast, so today's lunch— you will have to eat what I prepared for your lunch. Ok?" Eli said as she prepared her lunch box,

"Hmm..Ericchi, you're starting to act like a mother…. or an older sister…" Nozomi said,

Eli paused for a moment, she was about to say something, though she decided to not respond instead.

Nozomi noticed the pause and began to remember what else she destroyed back then,

"Ah—Ericchi….I….I'm sorry…. I…destroyed your work that one you wanted to give to your younger sister…." Nozomi said sadly.

"That's fine. Forget it…" Eli let out a fake response, acting like she didn't care.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment, her eyes kept on looking at how swift and clever Eli looked when working in the kitchen, it's like she already knows a lot—and yet it doesn't look like she included any emotion in her work.

"Ericchi… tell me, do soldiers cook for themselves…?" Nozomi asked

"We do everything by ourselves; we're trained to be independent and disciplined…" Eli replied.

"Are they also trained to be emotionless?" Nozomi asked.

Eli paused,

Then she sighed weakly,

"I guess you can say it like that…" Eli replied.

"I've been wondering, why do you put yourself to be trained as a soldier? Can't you be trained as something else…?"

"Didn't I tell you we don't have a choice? Everyone born will be forced to enter that school… and our name will not be registered as civilians of Terra until after we graduate. This basically means that we students are still disposable before we graduate…"

"Then, why do you have to go back to that place? You can always stay here with your comrade to seek your freedom…"

"Problem is, three of us are the top three students, we are watched by the authority… so if we don't return to Terra before our vacation is over, they will start looking for us… plus, my other two comrades still has a family, you know… and I can't just leave them for my ego. Maki especially, because she really needs my help to graduate…" Eli said.

"Can't you fake your death or something?" Nozomi asked.

"If we do that, all of our belongings will be taken… even our ships…" Eli replied.

"Then you can't return to earth without it…." Nozomi said sadly.

"Exactly…. My only choice is just to graduate and register myself as 'moved to another planet.'" Eli said.

"And you will do that, for me…. right?" Nozomi replied.

"It would be for myself, not you…" Eli said.

Nozomi giggled,

"…but you will stay here with me, so let's just say that will be for me…"

Eli sighed,

"Whatever…. But tell you what, once we move, we will not be able to move back to Terra…. But whatever it is, the idea to get myself off that place already makes me feel glad. The earth could provide me a good place to stay, whether I stay with you or not, is not an issue…" Eli replied.

"Ah—don't worry; I told you, we're a perfect match. You'll stay with me…" Nozomi said.

Eli remained quiet as she packed up Nozomi's lunch. Then she sighed weakly again,

"You know, sometimes I feel curious as to why you are suddenly this clingy…"

"I just want to be treated, that's all… nothing more…" Nozomi replied.

Eli smirked,

"I'm only here for a few days, remember?…" Eli said.

"And you proved yourself to be reliable… so don't sweat about details, just go with it…" Nozomi replied.

"Alright then…." Eli replied as she put her lunch box on the table.

Nozomi turned to see her lunch box, she knew the said box very well—but she had never seen it so clean and neatly packed.

"Good luck with school today." Eli said as she smiled at her gently.

Nozomi smiled back,

"Thanks….Ericchi…" she replied timidly.

"Then….I'll go check your room now…" Eli said.

"Ah—can you….do that a bit later…?" Nozomi asked.

"Hmm? Why…?" Eli wondered,

"Uh….because…" Nozomi glanced away,

"It's a big mess….?" Eli lifted her eyebrow.

"Yes…." Nozomi replied as her face turned completely red

"I'll tidy it up…" Eli said.

"No-no… it's not that….it just that…I want to help you clean… and…uh… it's almost time for school…so…."

"I'll tidy it up and if there's any change you want, let me know…" Eli cuts in.

"Eh, but…. I'll feel bad if you do it alone…"

"I cleaned your whole house and you only feel bad when I clean your bedroom?"

"No-no..it just that… there are some….things…. that I don't want you to see…."

"What is it? Your worn underwear? Rotten, unsanitary napkin? Last year's meal maybe? I've seen it all and have been cleaning it up as well…" Eli said.

"No-no, I don't care about that…" Nozomi replied.

"Then what are you talking about?! Honestly, if you're going to care about those things, then at least keep your house clean!"

"Eh, but no one's going to look at it, they only see me outside and in my office…"

"Oh—so that's why the office is so neat and well kept… But either way! You should take care of the rest of the house as well!"

"Too troublesome…"

"You're the troublesome one! Sheesh! I can't believe no one taught you how to keep your place clean!"

"I told you, I was living alone!"

"No excuses! How can you even live in this place?!"

"By not caring about it?"

"Don't answer that! That's not a question! That's just a rhetorical comment!"

"Oh…."

"You know what? You better get home early! I'll teach you a lesson about hygiene!"

"So you're going to wait for me before cleaning up my room…?"

"Yes! happy now?!" Eli yelled.

"Promise?"

"Yes, promise! Sheesh!"

"Ah—Ericchi is so kind!"

"Don't flatter me! I'm still angry!"

* * *

The city, morning, Inn;

Maki got up from her bed, and started to look around, three single beds—all empty, the shoes— all gone, jackets—there were none.

"Where did they go…?" Maki mumbled,

She sighed weakly and jumped off the bed. Walking to the windows, she looked out and saw the view of the city. In all honesty, she was somewhat amazed by how magical the world, she stays in right now, is. She began to wonder, what if the two sides began to fight against each other. Will it be a big fight or will it benefit one side?

She surely knows that the whole subject about war was just limited in arguments and conversations right now… but what if it somehow advance itself into a real war? The image of her having to choose a side scares her.

She also began to wonder, what her family will say about the arguments between the two sides. Will they choose a side?

As her thoughts were about to run wild, without knocking, someone opened the door.

"Nyaaaaaa! Maki-chaaaaaaaaaannn!" Rin greeted her excitedly as she ran in and jumped on Maki.

"O-oi! Watch it!" Maki said.

"Ah, Maki-chan, you're awake…" Hanayo said—she looks somewhat…disheveled.

"Yaah—! That was the best food tour I ever had…." Niko walked in happily, looking as unruly as Hanayo.

"Where did you all go…?" Maki asked.

"We went to the food bazaar-nya! It's very crowded so we had to force our way in-nya!" Rin said—a strange odor coming out from her mouth.

"Y-you smell! Wh-what the hell did you eat…" Maki said as she shoved Rin away from her.

And Rin fell to the ground,

"We ate so many things today-nya! I forgot the details-nya!" Rin said, remaining as excited as ever, even while being on the ground.

"Yeah-yeah! Then there was this rice… ah they are doing so well with it!" Hanayo said, her voice somewhat a little too playful compared from the usual.

"Then those crepes were so good… with extra caramel…"

"The octopus dumplings too… the ramen… ah I want to eat them again-nya!" Rin said excitedly.

Maki smirked,

"I can't stop eating! I want to drink!" Hanayo yelled.

"H-huh? That was random…" Maki said.

"Let's go home and tell Maki-chan-nya!" Rin said.

"Huh? The hell? I'm here… you guys already told me!" Maki stared at the lot, questioningly.

"So we go back and tell Maki-chan that we love the food…" Niko said.

"Oi! Oi! I'm right here!" Maki yelled.

"Ahhhh! Maki-chan you need to taste the rice it was so good!" Hanayo shouted.

"Are you all drunk?!"

"We are the Navigators—YAY!" Rin shouted.

"Afterschool! Afterschool!" Niko yelled.

"Delicious!" Hanayo shouted.

"T-that confirms it…" Maki sighed.

The three musketeers kept spouting incoherent nonsense, while their eyes showed no sign of their sober counterparts.

Maki sighed again, as she watched the trio randomly dance around in the room, and cause a disruptive amount of noise.

"I guess I have no choice…" Maki stretched her arms.

Niko, Rin and Hanayo ignored her completely.

"Niko, Rin, Hanayo….. I'm sorry…."

And within seconds, she—…..

* * *

The School of Magic, Lunch Break;

The school's backyard will always be Nozomi's favorite place to spend her break time. Usually, she would stop at the cafeteria, but since she brought her own lunch today, she decided to go straight to the backyard. She sat on the bench near a big tree,

As she opened her lunch box, she saw almost all kinds of vegetables neatly set in it along with red rice. Nozomi sighed weakly,

She gently grabbed the chopsticks that was prepared next to it, and just before she is about to eat it.

"Ah—Nozomi-chan…." Kotori called her.

"Oh…Kotori-chan…." Nozomi replied a little awkwardly.

The two looked at each other for a moment…

"Hnn…I…I want to say sorry…." Kotori said as she bowed and offered a lunch box to her.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment before she decided to accept it.

"I snapped at you yesterday… I was…just really worried about you…. I thought you would surely throw your pride as a virgin and a female that time….because… you're like a sister to me, I don't want you to be disrespected by anyone or yourself…" Kotori said.

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Is it really that important to you?" Nozomi asked.

"If you're talking about my own, yes…it is important…. because it's supposed to be given only to the one who will be my life time partner…but… if it's about yours… I…I just want you to think more…. I know you're very experimental… you are willing to do a lot of things to satisfy your curiosity but… the thing you called as Virginity can't be recovered…. And once you lose it, it will be lost forever…."

"I know about that…" Nozomi replied.

"Then, why are you going to give it to Ayase-san…? She is just a stranger; we got to know her just a few days ago. I know she is charming, but…. look… from the way you and her started…. Do you think it's wise to decide her to be your life time partner? Or at least… the one who gets the honor to tear your purity?"

"I just think she is the perfect person for me…" Nozomi said.

"Is she really?'

"Yes, I can see it already…" Nozomi replied surely.

"Is it really because you feel that way or are you just trying to find an excuse to use her, I also know that Ayase-san is a very reliable person… I hope you're not just trying to abuse that…"

"Nope, it's true. I really feel and think that way… we'll be good with each other… and we understand each other… maybe there are just a few conflicts, but I doubt it will be a big problem…"

"I still think you're deciding it too fast…." Kotori said.

"No, I'm sure I'm not… it's in the correct phase." Nozomi replied.

"Is it really?" Kotori asked clearly.

"Yes, it is…." Nozomi replied in the same manner.

Kotori sighed weakly.

"Fine…" Kotori replied.

Nozomi smiled at her and she started to open the lunch box that Kotori gave her.

"W-wha! B-Bacons! M-meat!" Nozomi said excitedly, as her eyes sparkled at the food.

"Ah, yes, I made that for you…I know you like them…" Kotori replied.

"Y-you're my savior! Kotori-chan! I thought I'll never eat this again!" Nozomi said.

"Eh? Wh-what do you mean? You can buy meat from Kayo-chan's shop…."

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment, and then she coughed a little,

"Well…actually….Kotori-chan…. it was because….. Ericchi is allergic to meat!" Nozomi said.

"E-eh!?" Kotori stuttered out in surprised,

"That's why…. I can't cook meat anymore… and…of course, Ericchi will never cook me meat because of her allergies… I could be selfish by just cooking it right away… but….ah… I've promised to myself to stop being cruel ...seeing Ericchi suffer makes me sad!" Nozomi said dramatically.

"I…I see…."

"You see now, right? I truly have feelings for her…. a strange feeling which might be the seed of love that I want to grow in myself…. don't you wish to see it bloom?"

"Y-yes…."

"Same with me…. That's why… I sacrificed my love of meat for her…. because I believe, she is the one that I need for my life…she is way more needed than a big slab of meat on my plate everyday…" Nozomi said.

"T-that's kind of you!" Kotori couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yup, see? I really did change into a good person… you have to believe me…"

"Yes, you are!"

"Now-now, time to enjoy my sandwich…" Nozomi said as she picked up the sandwich.

"Uh…what about your other lunch?" Kotori asked.

"Ah..uhm… these are vegetables…. It's delicious, but…it doesn't really fit my tastes…" Nozomi replied.

"Uhm…but it looks so neat and tasty…." Kotori said.

"Ericchi made it for me, but you can have it…" Nozomi said while holding out the lunch box, with her free hand, towards the girl in front of her.

"R-really?" Kotori asked.

"Yup, as a replacement for the nice sandwich…" Nozomi replied.

"Then…you can have my other sandwich! I still have one!" Kotori said.

"R-really? Then I would like to have it!" Nozomi replied excitedly.

"Yup, as a sign that we made up…" Kotori said before she turned around, about to go to get the other lunch box,

"Great!"

Then Nozomi widen her eyes as an idea crossed her mind,

"Ah, Kotori-chan!" she called.

Kotori stopped,

"What if…. We trade our lunch every day from now on? Since… you know, I will never get to cook or have meat in my home at the moment?"

"Uh? Sure I guess?'

"Perfect! Don't tell Ericchi, ok? I want her to know that I ate her lunch that she made with love!"

"Ok!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, afternoon;

Eli was currently working on fixing a few rooms that she wasn't quite satisfied with,

She kept moving furniture here and there to make it as effective as it can be until suddenly, Umi came by,

"Afternoon, Eli…" Umi greeted politely.

"Ah, Umi… afternoon…" Eli greeted back.

"Sorry I only get to visit you in the afternoons, I had to go around with Honoka first…" Umi said.

"That's fine, but why are you visiting me? Anything you need?"

"I just noticed that you're working so much for Toujou-san… I wonder why you're not against it yet… I believe you can rebel any time you like…"

"She is like a mirror to me… what I did to her is what I want to feel for myself… also because she reminds me of having a family… not that you and Maki don't…. it just that… she is also someone special and unique to me..."

"Someone special… as in lovers? I heard you're in that status with her…"

"Pretty much, but I'm not sure why. She never wants to explain it to me in details… I'm just playing along with her game…" Eli replied.

"Sure it's not because she is cute and has a pair of big breast you can enjoy?" Umi asked.

Eli laughed,

"Part of it… it would be a lie if I said that's not one of my factors…" Eli replied.

"I want your explanation about before… why are you just up for being intimate with her?"

"Curiosity, that I have been wanting to feel…"

"I hope it hasn't happened yet…"

"No, I haven't done that… maybe I did touch her breast…. But… after knowing that she is actually still innocent… and mislead, I started to realize I should hold down that part of me and teach her carefully…"

"Understood…" Umi replied.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, let's talk about weapons…" Umi said.

"Weapon? Ah! You want to make them, right? We're here for a month and a half, we don't actually need it… but I can make them from scraps…" Eli said.

Umi nodded before she handed a roll of paper to Eli.

"I've been making sketches to present to you… it's the result of my new knowledge about the magic prevention crystals…"

"Magic prevention crystals?" Eli wondered as she opened the rolled paper.

"Yes, I'll explain it to you later, but… are you willing to conduct this research? Without Toujou-san… of course… because this will be a weapon that benefits us only…" Umi said.

"I'm not sure, I think I will need her help to know further, we don't want to harm ourselves with it, right?"

"I'm sure that's one case, but, what if she disagrees? Even though she seems to trust you right now, I don't think she is going to fully support the idea, if she knows what our research is for…" Umi said.

"Then we just have to make a weapon that can match ours right?"

"True …"

"I'm sure Nozomi will want to help this research if we say that."

"But in all honesty, I still don't think we should fully trust her…or them. It's good to be kind, honest and protective towards them, but we should remember where our real loyalty lies…and to remember that we're here just to prove our worth as soldiers—and as warriors."

"Where are you going with that?" Eli asked.

"I'm talking about your other commitment… you know what that is." Umi replied.

Eli sighed,

"I remember, don't worry, I'm not going to make a weapon that could destroy us…"

"I'm sure you won't… but what about Toujou-san? She is an engineer too, right?"

"Yes, but I think she isn't really serious about her engineering. She abandoned almost all of her works… even though they were actually pretty cool…" Eli replied.

"How do you know?"

"Exploring her house while tidying up her stuff as an excuse… She really is a big mess, you know…" Eli said.

"Ah— I didn't think of that one… but… now that you mention it, I also know a lot about Kotori's work. She kept a lot of encyclopedia in her workshop. I tried to read at least four volumes a day, there are so many things to memorize but I know about a few things already…. Also from the lesson I got after gathering ingredients with Honoka…" Umi replied.

"Sounds cool, now I wonder what Maki is getting from the city…" Eli said.

"I'm sure she said she wanted to know further about the social life there… also about what they sell as well. She promised to bring back metals for our weapon too. So perhaps we can try to discuss more and wait for her when we are going to manufacture it…"

"Understood…"

"Speaking of which, have you found our ships?" Umi asked.

"Yes and the keys too… I placed them in the easiest place to find, so if we don't get this one month and a half deal fulfilled, we can escape…" Eli replied.

"I hope they keep their promise though, because we tried our best to fulfill our promise as well…" Umi said.

"I hope so too…" Eli sighed.

"This is just a thought, Eli, but, what if you give me my tablet? I need to do something with it…" Umi said.

"Won't that be suspicious? I mean, look, we're staying in a place where people hate our technologies…" Eli said.

"I know… but you're underestimating my tablet. I just purchased the camouflage function a while back before vacation, been wanting to show it to you but never had the chance…" Umi said.

"Camouflage function? Isn't that expensive? Wow…."

"It's worth it…"

"Then I'll make sure to get your tablet later. Anything else?"

"Yes, should I start to explain you about what I know?" Umi asked.

"Please do…"

* * *

The city, afternoon;

Maki walked with Niko on her back, Rin on her left arm, and Hanayo on her right arm. They were all unconscious.

The guards kept their eyes on her as she moved to her own car—one with all the baggage already set back into it neatly.

As she got close to the car, one of The Guard helps to open the car door; she placed all of them in the passenger seats.

Then she sighed heavily.

"All done?" asked the guard.

"Yeah…. Thanks for keeping an eye on my vehicle…" Maki said.

"Our job as guard— even though you're a stranger…" he replied.

"Then you're doing a great job…" Maki said as she watched The Guard close the car door.

"We're thankful that you reported about them as well. The food bazaar is always filled with those kinds of merchants who love to add addiction effect on their food, but we can't act before someone reported it or a big mess would happen…" said the guard.

"Ah—uh…yeah… I…understand that feeling…" Maki replied nervously.

"Are you going to take them back home?" The Guard asked.

"Yeah…I don't have a choice. We're supposed to travel to another city but since this incident happened…I need to hurry up to get them all back home…" Maki replied.

"There's an apothecary in the city…" The Guard said.

"I did go there, but it's too crowded, tried to pick up an entry and its number 304 with 38 as current patient number…." Maki replied.

"Wow…. I wonder why no one reported it but you after that many victims…"

"Apathetic? Individualism? Or maybe they prefer to talk on the back instead of reporting to authority? Distrust? No idea…" Maki replied.

The Guard nodded in amusement,

"Either way, I'm glad you did the right thing. Good job soldier…." The guard saluted.

Maki saluted back at him before she quietly went into the driver's seat.

Then she turns on her vehicle and dispatched immediately.

The guard chuckled,

"So she really was a soldier…" he said before he returned to his post.

* * *

Toujou's residence afternoon;

Umi explained about everything she knew to Eli. The blonde seemed to take an interest in the research as her eyes kept on scanning the sketches Umi made,

"I see… so this is why you wonder if we could add a shield function in our next weapon…" Eli said.

"Yes…so you're interested?"

"I am, with an ability to drain power from mages…hmm…I think we can also add this function to our ships and armors as well…" Eli replied.

"Ah—didn't think of that…"

"If we make that, we all will be anti-mages… but I wonder if it will clash with the physical shields function… or perhaps, we can just apply the anti-mage function in the armor and add the physical shields on the shield that we're going to add on our weapons systems to…"

"A great idea… but perhaps you also want to consider about anti-mage ammo…"

"Hearing from your explanation about this crystal, we can just make ammo that will be left in the target's body and difficult to take out—means that we need smaller and sharper tips for arrows and smaller bullets. It won't do much damage but it will stop them from casting magic…" Eli replied.

"Ah, then, do you think the poison in Maki's weapon will also do the trick?"

"You mean like sticking the crystal to their body by melting them? That will do it and I'm sure it will be a very fatal weapon against the mages… but I think it will be a little tricky to create them…" Eli replied.

"I'm sure it will be… but now the other problem is, how do we get our hands on that crystal? We don't know where this mountain is…" Umi said.

"Ah, for that, don't worry. I think I found a geographic map somewhere around this house… but, I need to get this place set in the most effective way first… want to help with that?"

"Sure, let's get it done…"

* * *

The path to village, dusk;

Kotori and Nozomi were on their own horses, riding calmly in a moderate speed,

"Uhm…Nozomi-chan…" Kotori called.

"Hmm?"

"This…this is just a wonder, why do you think those three soldiers are very strong…?" Kotori asked.

"Because they're trained?"

"No-no..I mean like… have you ever thought to make something that will let you fight against them…"

"My glove is all I need. It's pretty much able to cut all the channeling duration…." Nozomi replied.

"But it's destroyed, right?" Kotori asked.

"Yes, but it shouldn't be a problem. I'm trying to look for time to go to Pure Love Lens Lake, then to the White Lily…"

"Are you going to take Ayase-san with you?"

"Yes, I want to show her around…"

"Hnn…. I suggest not…"

"Why? We're not going to do anything strange, Ericchi said she wants to hold herself to not to do anything to me—thanks to you…"

"Eh? Uh….I don't know if that's a sarcasm or not, but uh…Nozomi-chan, it's not about that…"

"Then what is it about?"

"It's about… our safety…. You know how strong Ayase-san is alone, what if she had teamwork with the other two? I mean… Umi-chan is kind, I'm sure… but even though with that attitude she shows to me, I feel like she could be a painful backstabber later…." Kotori replied.

"Then let's just make a magic that can enable us to put them down… or potions… or perhaps a weapon? There are so many ways to kill people…"

"W-wah! No! I don't plan to kill them…I just wonder if we can at least put them in control…" Kotori said.

"I rather go with taking over the control. You know there's an ancient magic called Marionette…?" Nozomi replied.

"Uh...No, but that sounds… dangerous…." Kotori said.

"You just need to somehow put a couple of markings on their body and poof… they are your puppets—and they will never know that they are your puppet until you activate it..."

"Uh…I think that's a little too cruel…"

"You have to go a lot more steps further if you want to defeat your biggest enemy…" Nozomi replied.

"Eh?"

"…anyway, if you don't know how to do it, we have the book in the school's library… then perhaps you also want to find about how to put them in the most unconscious state…?." Nozomi replied.

"Oh….huh…wait…Nozomi-chan? Have you put that on Ayase-san?"

"Nope, I haven't… I wanted to do it in a fun way before… but you stopped me…" Nozomi replied with a playful smile.

"Then…before was—…."

"I'm not going to say anything else…" Nozomi cuts in before she hastens her speed.

"W-wait! Nozomi-chan! I still disagree with that, ok?! Don't turn Ayase-san to your puppet!"

"What are you saying? Ericchi is my lover!" Nozomi said with melodic voice,

"Nozomi-chan! Listen to me!"

"Ah, the sun is so bright!"

"It's not! Uh-oh! Wait! Nozomi-chan! Wait!"

And Kotori began to dash to catch up with her.

* * *

**See you next chapter, and again it gonna take a while. I'm busy ,sigh.**

**But dw i'll finish this!**


	11. Plan and Trick

**Sorry for the long update! **

**I have a work piling up so I can't actually make other things.**

**But please be patient~ I'm doing my best!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/favorite/follows! I love it!**

**Thanks to Crimson too for the editing!**

* * *

Toujou's residence, night time;

"Nozomi! What is this?!" Eli yelled as she took out dirty dishes out from under her bed,

"Eh? It's a plate and a pair of chopsticks…" the now sweeping girl replied without a single guilt in her voice,

"I'm not asking about that! Why is it under your bed!?"

"Because I placed it there?"

"And do you think that's appropriate?!"

"hnnn….I forgot to place it back?"

"Nozomi! Stop joking with me!"

"I'm not joking…" Nozomi said innocently.

"Sheesh, what kind of room is this— you're literally living above garbage…"

"Still extremely comfortable…"

"Hah—! That because you've been living in this place for many years already! I wonder how you haven't gotten any skin diseases!" Eli said as she took out a lot of dishes out of the bed's vault.

"Hmm? Because… I'm thick skinned? I think I've built enough resistance to such things ever since I was little?'

"That's not a question and that's not a compliment!" Eli yelled in frustration.

Nozomi giggled,

"Ericchi, you're taking things too seriously…"

"I'm serious because you're such a mess!"

"I don't mind if others call me a pig or anything…"

"I mind! Listen up, Nozomi, if you want to be my lover, then you better help me clean up this place! Or else… I'll force you to do it!"

"Hyaaan—Ericchi is going to use her force again!" Nozomi said teasingly.

"Nozomi!" Eli tried to grab Nozomi but she quickly dodged,

Nozomi sticks out her tongue.

"Ericchi can't catch me!" she said mockingly before she quickly ran away.

"Oh I can catch you!" Eli frowned as she ran to reach Nozomi,

The two started to run around the hallway,

"Come back here!"

"Hyaaaaan—Ericchi is going to catch me! So scary!"

"Nozomi!"

And they continue to run until they reached the underground garage entrance,

Nozomi smiled mischievously before she swiftly solved the lock puzzle, opened the door and quickly attempt to close it—but before it could close, Eli held the door with her right arm, and swiftly moved in,

"Ahh! Ericchi is so rough!" Nozomi said teasingly before she ran again, Eli quickly chased her around and caught her as she tried to go through the Glass Garden,

"Got you!"

"Ahh—rape! Rape! Ericchi is going to rape me!"

"What?! I didn't even—!" Eli quickly released her,

Nozomi giggled,

"Joking, Ericchi, now why are we here?"

"You brought us here!"

"Ah—I see, so Ericchi wants an intimate time…"

"Nozomi! We haven't finished your room!"

"Hmm… I wanted to ask so many things about your ship…"

"Hey! Listen to me!"

"Nope, you should listen to me…"

"Sheesh! Nozomi!"

Nozomi giggled,

"Come on, I'm still curious about everything you have…" Nozomi said.

"We haven't finished cleaning your room, let's go back…." Eli said.

"You're stubborn…."

"W-what? Hey! You're the stubborn one!"

And without even asking for permission, Nozomi opened the Glass Garden's door,

"Nozomi!" Eli grabbed Nozomi's hand,

Nozomi turned to her, and smiled mischievously as she gazed at the blonde while carefully dragging her inside the ship, leading her to sit down on the pilot seat as she sat on Eli with her back leaning on the blonde's chest,

Eli sighed,

"Fine… I'll tell you a bit, but then let's go back to your room and finish cleaning, ok?"

"Yup, then…hmm first….I want to ask about—This!" Nozomi pointed to a set of screens and buttons on the left of the pilot's seat,

"It's just a navigating screen, nothing special…" Eli replied.

"Why would you need a navigating screen, you can't see?"

"Of course I can, it just helps us to know our position—and plus prevents us from getting ambushed…"

"Boring stuff… hmm…what about this one?" Nozomi pointed to the front set of screen and buttons with a driver handlebar.

"That's Driver and communication system panel, we can communicate with others using it, though we have to add them as contacts first—it's just like an ordinary cellphone with connection…"

"I never had a cellphone in my entire life…"

"You never did? I thought it's the 'must have' things in life…"

"I never got in contact with anyone far from the village, so I don't need them…"

"Now that you mention it, I never did see any phone in your house…" Eli sighed.

"Do you always use them?" Nozomi asked,

"No…not quite, I don't have anyone to call either…"

"Then, what do you use this for…?" Nozomi asked.

"Uh—for communicating with my comrades of course, when we're in the battle field, we can't stay close to each other due to our roles… I'm someone that takes front line, then Umi should be at the back, while Maki, she is always in stealth modes for surprise attacks. Sometimes we use that for arranging strategies as well."

"Then who's in the middle…?" Nozomi asked.

"No one, we're always in a group of three…"

"Why does it sound like you have no other friends than them or something?"

"It will be a lie if I said that's not true…"

"So you only have those two as your friends…?"

"Do you need to ask that again…" Eli sighed,

"I'm just wondering! Sheesh! Ericchi is so sensitive…"

Eli smirked at her,

"So does Ericchi want to make more friends?"

"Not really, it's a waste of time…"

"I'm glad we agree on that matter… but, don't you think we have to do the opposite? We have that mission called: Learning how to friendship love…."

"It doesn't work that way, you know…. it supposed to happen naturally…" Eli said.

"But how will it happen if we never try to approach them?"

"Coincidence? Forced to a situation? Whichever works…?"

"What about… we make this 'Forced Situation' instead of waiting for it to happen…?"

Eli sighed again,

"Alright, so what's your plan?"

"Hmmm…let's…travel together! All of us!"

"Then what about your school and the other things?"

"I can always set the students on project month…."

"Project month?"

"Yup, means that they're given liberty to research anything they want as long they can make the project that I request from them during a specific date I assign…"

"Uh…that sounds like literature class's homework for me…"

"Really? Then, does Ericchi have that homework?"

"No… fortunately not… why are you asking anyway… it's not like you can help…" Eli replied.

"Maybe you would want to write about earth or something?"

"No… that would be too dangerous…" Eli huffed,

Nozomi giggled,

"You're really cute when you're annoyed, you know, it makes me want to bite you…" Nozomi said.

"Huh? I am? Then I suppose those stupid girls like it when I'm giving them a cold shoulder…"

Nozomi giggled again before she turns around to face her,

"Do you hate them because they're trying to approach you?"

"No, it just that…they…." Eli paused,

Nozomi tilts her head,

"I just can't describe how I hate them… sorry…."

"You can't describe why you hate them? Then why don't you tell me a story about the time when you started to hate them?" Nozomi asked.

Eli shook her head,

"I don't want to remember it…" Eli replied,

"That's not fair, I told you about my past, why do you refuse to tell me about yours?"

"I can't…ok?"

"Ericchi is being unfair…" Nozomi puffed her cheek,

"Why are you always puffing your cheeks like that…"

"Because I'm upset at Ericchi!"

"It's not going to be scary if you puff your cheeks like that, you know… it just makes you look cute…" Eli said.

Nozomi remained quiet as she kept her cheeks puffed.

"Nozomi…stop giving me that face…"

Nozomi was still quiet, shoving her face closer to the blonde—still with her puffed cheek,

"Nozomi!"

No change.

Eli started to giggle,

"I'll make it explode…"

Nozomi shoved her face even closer,

And Eli claps her hands gently on her cheek,

"Poof!" Eli said playfully.

Nozomi and Eli giggled,

"Aaa! Now it's Ericchi's turn!" Nozomi said.

"Alright… here…"

Eli puffed her cheek,

Nozomi poked Eli's Cheek.

"Poof!" She said playfully.

"My turn again…" Eli said.

Nozomi puffed her cheek,

Eli poked her cheek gently.

"Poof!"

And they giggled again as they kept doing the same routine for a while, until….

"Here…." Eli puffed her cheek,

Nozomi placed both of her hands on Eli's cheek then carefully pressed on it as the wind blew out from Eli's mouth.

"Poooooooooooooooooooooff….."

They giggled sweetly,

"My turn now…" Nozomi said before she puffed her cheeks, her hands still placed on the blonde's cheeks. Eli placed both of her hands on Nozomi's cheek and also tried to deflate it slowly,

"Pooof…" Eli whispered—her voice somehow sounded extremely seductive,

Nozomi smiled faintly.

"That's sexy, you know…" Nozomi whispered back,

"I know…." Eli smiled back at her,

The two stare into each other quietly, realizing that they both are charmed by each other's beauty—and the range of their faces were just a few centimeters in distance,

Their cheeks took in a shade of dark red,

"Hey…shall we kiss?" Eli whispered,

"Aren't you the one who said you won't do it before I learned all the lessons you want to teach me?" Nozomi asked,

"You're right…." Eli replied.

"But…I don't mind it if you want to do it, I'm very curious about how a kiss feels like…" Nozomi whispered softly,

"I don't know either…." Eli replied, her voice low and gentle, enough for a person to faint just from hearing it.

"Why does Kotori say this is a big deal? Is there anything else that's going to happen?"

"Other than you losing your first kiss, no…. don't think so…." Eli said.

"And what does this first kiss mean?"

"It's just meant to be a special kiss… just like your first kill…." Eli smiled softly,

"I see…. so what makes it special is not because it's given to someone special— but because it happened, right?"

"Pretty much… but since you'll remember it for the rest of your life time, the kiss could either end up as a regret or greatest memory…. So that's why it's safer if you give it to your special someone…. " Eli replied,

"Ah—so it just all about safety…huh?"

"Yes…"

"But I like to play everything dangerously…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"Really?" Eli chuckled,

"Yup, I don't care about myself that much….and I always do whatever I want…."

"Then I suppose you don't care about what I will do to you?"

"As long it doesn't harm me or get me in trouble…. I don't…."

Eli chuckled again,

"Is this a trap? You know I haven't believed you with all these…" Eli asked.

"What do you think I will do to you if you kiss me?"

Eli smiled,

"I don't know…. that's why I want to stay alert…"

"I'm not going to put you through any trouble either… silly…as long as you're taking good care of me, I'll take care of you too…."

"That's what every liars say…" Eli said.

"Then, let's just do this…" Nozomi leaned in closer to her, placing her lips right in front of Eli,

"Do whatever you want to me… I won't complain…" Nozomi said.

"Sure?"

"Yes, I will never complain about it…"

"Very well then….."

* * *

The road, morning;

Maki rested her back on the car, taking a short break after long nights drive. She turned to the trio who has been asleep the whole time. Then averted her eyes to the small luggage under the steering wheel and decided to check it out,

There was a map rolled up along with a journal.

She opened the map, browsing around; she noticed two places marked with a red marker,

_'White Lily'_

_'Pure Love Lens Lake'_

Maki raised her eyebrows slightly,

Then she turned to the journal, that seemed to be a little burnt around the borders,

She decided to open it, flipping from page to page, until she stopped at the page where she found a blueprint of a familiar glove,

Maki widen her eyes, then she tried to read a few explanations about it,

_….I've finally made it,_

_A glove that's able to multiply power, hasten magic channeling, and create an instant shield. It's a very powerful glove and I'm sure the governor will be very happy to have it. The glove is a magic technology that will be remembered as one of the legendary weapon of mages! It will be powerful! It will take our family to the high-place! _

_Nozomi-chan will be very happy and she is, no doubt, going to be the daughter of a genius inventor! It will be easier for her too to find someone who will treat her like a princess. She always wanted to be treated that way. Lazy girl, but I'm glad she inherited my brilliant mind so at least she will be the next genius of magic technology!_

Then Maki started to examine the sketches next to it, plus the blueprints of the mechanic, it seems to be a little too complex for her, but she is sure someone will be able to understand it,

Maki tried to look at the back again; none of the three were awake yet.

She quickly searched Hanayo's bag, looking for a paper and pen, much to her luck the red-head pulled it out and quickly copied the blueprints on it.

* * *

Kotori's workshop, morning;

Honoka and Kotori were already busy doing their own work in the workshop, as Umi came in carrying a roll of paper,

"Morning…" Umi greeted them politely,

"Ah, Umi-chan! Food?" Honoka asked as she turned to a box of manjuu that she placed on the end table.

"Yeah, would be nice, but I'm going to bring them to the Inn, if you don't mind. I need to talk with Eli…" Umi said.

"Yup, no problem!" Honoka replied.

Kotori seemed to not have noticed Umi's presence, as she was too busy with the flask of poison that she was working on.

"Ah, by the way Kotori…." Umi said,

Kotori stood quiet,

"Do you have any request today? Because there's something I want to do as well…."

Kotori didn't make any response,

"Kotori…?" Umi called again,

No response.

Umi turned to Honoka, the ginger gestured to her, telling her to try and poke her,

Umi nodded and she walks closer to Kotori,

"Kotori…" Umi poked Kotori

"Ahh!" Kotori jumped slightly, accidentally dropping her flask.

"K-Kotori?"

"A-aa ….U-Umi-chan! You surprised me!" Kotori said in a panic, as she quickly crouched down, about to touch the broken flask, Umi quickly grabbed her,

"What substance is that?!" Umi asked clearly,

"A-aaahh! I-It's poison! B-B-but I'm not going to use it on you, I swear!" Kotori said in panic as she cowers,

"Then don't touch it with your bare hands…" Umi said.

"Eh…?" Kotori flustered,

"Come on, you've been an alchemist for long enough, right? You shouldn't touch poison with bare hands…" Umi said.

"Uh…right…S-Sorry…."

Umi sighed,

"Come on, get up and I'll clean that mess for you…" Umi said.

"But…."

"It was my fault that you dropped it, so I'll be responsible for the mess…" Umi said.

Kotori stared at her in awe,

Umi started to look for a rubber cloth, gloves, and a dustpan to clean up the mess with.

When she found it, she quickly used them all in a very effective way—it was as though she was very experienced in cleaning messes,

"Umi-chan….." Kotori blushed slightly while watching her,

"Yes?" Umi replied,

"N…Nothing…it just that…. I…." Kotori struggled with her words; she glanced towards Honoka who has been busy writing something in her notes,

Umi remained quiet as she kept working,

"I….I...uh….I wonder….if…." Kotori twiddled her finger,

"If….?"

"N…Nothing….Never mind…" Kotori sighed weakly.

"Alright…" Umi calmly replied.

"W-waaaah! I forgot to fill the water last night!" Honoka suddenly shouted.

"H-Heee?!" Kotori jumped, getting startled once more,

"The horses need water! Be right back!" Honoka ran out from the workshop.

Umi turn her sight to the hasty Honoka, and then she sighed,

"Sheesh, can't slow down a little… can she?…" Umi said.

"Uhhnn! Umi-chan!" Kotori called, somewhat eager.

"Yes?" Umi replied.

"I think you're more reliable than Honoka-chan!" Kotori said.

"Huh?"

"Yup, you're very reliable! I hope you can stay here!"

"Uh? I…I can't… I have to graduate first and… I have family in Terra…." Umi said.

"Ah….right…" Kotori replied sadly,

"But thanks for the compliment…" Umi said with a gentle smile.

Kotori blushed madly,

"Aaa—uhhhh….uhnnn….. I…It's not a love confession, ok? It just… a compliment…" Kotori said.

"Yes it is… who thought that as a love confession?" Umi flustered.

"N-No one….ahahaa…" Kotori laughed awkwardly.

Umi chuckled softly before she returned to cleaning.

Kotori twiddled her fingers again,

"S-say though…Umi-chan…. I wonder….How can you resist a lot of my potions effect? Do you have some…sort of…uh…special…body immunity?"

Umi paused for a moment,

"No…" she replied flatly,

"Uhh…uhm…then…uh…. A…Are you…uh…familiar with…uh… The Alaistair…?" Kotori asked.

Umi looked somewhat surprised,

"What about them?" she asked looking up at the ash-brunette,

"Well…. uh… H-Honoka-chan is one of them… she is—"

"You shouldn't tell that to anyone, you know…" Umi cuts in.

"E-Eh? W-why?" Kotori flustered.

Umi sighed again,

"Just don't tell that to anyone…not even to your most trusted friend…" Umi said a little coldly,

"B-but…Honoka-chan did…." Kotori replied,

"She must be tired of life… or just doesn't care about them…" Umi said as she finished her cleaning.

"Eh?" Kotori flustered.

"Anyway, I'm going out to dispose this… then head out to the Inn, good luck with your school today… if there are any tasks for me to do, just write the it on the white board, I'll do it immediately later…" Umi said coldly before she walked out of the workshop.

Kotori watched Umi leave the workshop, as she felt confused towards what just happened…

* * *

The Stable, morning;

Honoka was currently filling the water on the horse's drinking tank as she was also working on adding hay to the feeder box, cheerfully humming a song, while doing so.

Then she heard someone dumping something to the trash bin near the stable.

She turned towards the noise,

"Ah, Umi-chan! You're fast on cleaning up…!" Honoka said.

Umi turned her gaze towards the ginger-head,

And within seconds, she charged at Honoka, pulling out her fist—Umi aimed to hit Honoka, but stopped just a few millimeters in front of the girl who didn't even attempt to dodge or protect herself.

"Eh? Umi-chan?" Honoka flustered,

"Honoka… are you…really tired of life…" Umi said.

"Uh? But…I was surprised by that attack though; I certainly would've gotten hit if you had really done it…" Honoka replied.

Umi sighed,

"Honoka….Why did you tell Kotori that you're an Alaistair?" Umi asked.

"Because… she is my friend?"

"No…. you shouldn't tell that to anyone…" Umi replied.

"Why?"

"Have you forgotten about what the creatures from the other planets did to us?"

"Us…then…you are—…"

"Don't say it; I don't want to get into the same trouble with you…" Umi cuts in.

"What do you mean? I'm lost…." Honoka said.

"Honoka… don't you know what our blood can do?"

"Eh? No…" Honoka replied.

Umi sighed,

"Then you really know nothing about it…."

"No… what are you talking about?"

"Honoka… our blood can nullify all kinds' magic and poison…"

"Oh…."

"If someone knew about this, they will try to squeeze our blood out of us…do you understand?"

"Yes…. But I don't think Kotori-chan will do anything like that…"

"She just told me that you're one of The Alaistair…it's just as dangerous as that, you know… what if someone heard it? You won't be living in peace until you can silent them…" Umi replied.

"I still don't really get it, Umi-chan… doesn't that just mean that we can help them if they need it?" Honoka said.

Umi sighed heavily,

"Honoka…. Do I really have to tell you…?"

"Yes, I just know that I and my family are the Alaistair, but I never actually knew what it meant…" Honoka replied.

"It just means that you're not an ordinary race…" Umi said.

"What does it mean to be 'not an ordinary race' here? Why are you making such a big problem out of it?" Honoka asked.

Umi smiled wryly,

"Do you remember, the time when we were abducted?"

"No, I don't remember to have ever been abducted…" Honoka said.

"Then, you must have been not part of the group— but… I was…" Umi replied.

"Please tell me more…" Honoka said.

Umi started to look around all ways, before she beckoned to Honoka leading her to the back of the stable, hiding from the open space.

Before starting, Umi made sure that they were the only two there,

"It was about six years ago… our planet, Eamon was invaded by a giant pirate ship, they were kidnapping almost half of the population. I don't actually remember the details, but I remember my parents telling me that our people didn't have good military units at the time, we were losing. I was one from the group of people that were kidnapped by them."

Honoka began to feel a mix of concern and sympathy towards the blue-haired girl,

"They sold us off to many places… I'm not sure to where but I'm sure a lot of planet bought us… but I believe, they were just as unfortunate as our group…."

"We passed about a few months, living in the pirate ship, traveling from planet to planet… galaxy to galaxy. They fed us strange food, food that was not even worth to be eaten, it was disgusting, it smelled and it didn't taste any better…"

"Until we finally reached the planet that we were going to sold at, it was a very dry planet, and it looked like there has been a disease outbreak— they were desperate to look for an antidote… they saw us as their hope…"

"They put us in a room, and threw us in a mixer, one by one… It was lucky of me and my family, because right when it was our turn, the soldiers from Terra and the space police attacked them. Apparently, the police had been watching over them for a long time, though they never knew what they've been up to until that day…"

"So you were saved by Terra's soldiers and the space police?" Honoka asked.

"Yes…and that was also when I had my first encounter with Eli. She was fully human back then… she was so clever, agile and powerful, it was my first time seeing a perfect human such as her… I was so amazed that I…. I wanted to be like her…" Umi replied.

"She has become my role model, even as of now, she still is, but I realized that I cannot be exactly the same as her… When my family moved to Terra, I was placed in the school as a common soldier, then a year later, I got to choose which role I wanted to try out and eventually become what I choose… at first I tried to be a vanguard, and I failed horribly, I can swing my swords, I can use a shield, but I was too focused on my duty, it made me unable to protect my comrades… so I took another path. This time as a Marksman instead of a Vanguard and I proved myself to be very good in the role and before I even realized it, I reached the top three student ranks— right under Eli, who ranked first…"

"Wait-wait….Complete human? Is she not?" Honoka asked, replaying the whole story in her head, and stopping right at that specific information.

"AH—I….I can't tell you any further about that. Sorry… but now you know how bad it is for others know you're The Alaistair…right?" Umi wanted to confirm.

"Yeah… sorry I didn't know…" Honoka said.

"That's fine… just don't tell anyone else, ok?" Umi said,

"Yup! I promise!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Now…let's go back to work…hmmm… I should go visit Eli…" Umi said.

"Ok!" Honoka replied,

And they could hear a sound of a horse running; Umi and Honoka quickly turned to the stable,

"Ah… that must be Kotori-chan…" Honoka said.

"Did she hear that?" Umi said.

"Not sure, but maybe she has been eavesdropping…" Honoka assumed.

"That's not nice…" Umi frowned slightly,

"Eh—that's fine, Kotori-chan will not do anything to us…" Honoka said.

"You sure?"

"Oh—Come on! She has been my friend for like…what? 5 years? She is not a bad person…." Honoka replied.

"Situations can change at any time, you know, when someone is desperate, they will do anything to have what they want…" Umi said.

"True, but Kotori-chan has gotten through that phase, she is a tough woman, you know…" Honoka said.

Umi sighed weakly,

"If you say so..."

* * *

The road, morning;

Maki continued to drive, passing through a forest; she had folded papers in her pocket and placed the bags back neatly where it belonged,

Suddenly, someone woke up, as movement could be heard from the back,

"Ahhh…. That was a really good night's sleep-nya!" Rin said. Stretching her hands upwards then bringing it down in front of her to do the same.

"Hey, morning…" Maki said.

"Morning-Maki-chan! Where are we going-nya?" Rin asked.

"Back to the village, you were all drunk so I had to do it…" Maki replied plainly.

"Ehh… you could've just let us rest and continued to go towards the other cities-nya…" Rin said.

"No way… with me being watched by the guards, I don't think so…" Maki said.

"Why are you being watched by the guards anyway nya…"

"No idea… Don't ask me…" Maki replied.

"Hmnnn…that sounds suspicious, Maki-chan!" Rin replied playfully.

"Heh—Hell if I know why… maybe they don't like my red hair…" Maki said.

"Really? Not because you're too cute-nya?" Rin giggled,

"W-what!? H-Heck no!" Maki blushed slightly,

"Being too cute is a crime, you know…" Rin said playfully.

"W-whatever!" Maki replied,

Rin laughed,

"Ah—Maki-chan is so cute… who knew Maki-chan is such a strong soldier on the side too-nya! Hehe…"

Maki sighed,

"Don't judge a book by its cover…" Maki said.

"But Maki-chan's cover is so good, inside is good too-nya! So Maki-chan is a fair book!"

"Sheesh, why don't you just go back to sleep instead of teasing me all day…" Maki replied.

"Ehhhh? But I just woke up nya…."

"I said go back to sleep, we'll be back to village in about three or four hours…" Maki said.

"Nope, not listening-nya!" Rin said.

Maki sighed again,

"Fine, then just do something by yourself… don't bother me, ok?"

"But I want to talk with Maki-chan though-nya…" Rin whined.

"Then talk about something useful…" Maki said.

"Hmmm… then… uh…ah right! Maki-chan! Do you want to learn magic-nya?" Rin asked.

"Depends on what kind of magic it is…" Maki said.

"Ehh….uhm…. it's a… uh… a buff magic-nya! You can hasten your speed like swooooshh!" Rin motioned with her arms, having one arm swiftly zip across in front of her face, even though she knew Maki wasn't watching the cat-like girl.

"Then, also increase your power like Bam! Hehe..." the orange haired girl lightly punched her own palm, while letting out an excited giggle.

"Huh? What makes you ask that all so sudden?" Maki asked.

"Didn't I ask you to teach me how to fight like you? I want you to do that—then as exchange, I'll teach you my magic-nya! Knowing that you have a mage lineage, you should be able to learn it-nya…"

"Heh… I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn…" Maki replied with a smirk.

"Really? Then, we should start up with—the things I would need?" Rin asked,

"Claws and roller-skates, would be better if you can add a little machine in it, either to boost speed or just to dash off with it…" Maki replied,

"Roller-skate… uh…I think I have a skateboard instead of that-nya…"

"Skateboard, huh? That's fine too… but it's going to be slightly different…"

"Ehhh? Maki-chan can play them too?" Rin asked.

"Yeah, it's like the common sport in our ship—except it's called a hoverboard instead of skateboard…"

"Then, Eli-chan and Umi-chan can play it too?"

"Yeah, but I'm the best in that sport, compared to the two. Umi is a little difficult, and so is Eli, she often gets a bit too rough and ends up breaking her hoverboard in the middle of the race… she is planning to make her own hoverboard later…"

"Ah—why are you all so skillful nya!"

"Huh—well…we're forced to… almost all students in Terra know how to hoverboard, you know…"

"Ohh…. Really-nya? Hnn… now I want to try to be a student there-nya!" Rin said.

"No—No you don't…just stay here and learn things by yourself…" Maki replied.

"Ehhh? Why-nya? Is it bad to live there?"

"Yes, and you really don't want to live there…." Maki said.

"Uhn…ok… since you are so insistent about it…but…. you will still teach me how to fight, right-nya?" Rin asked.

"Yeah…"

"Ok! Hnn…I can't wait to return to village-nya!"

* * *

The School Of Magic, morning;

Kotori just arrived at the stable to park her horse—she noticed someone hiding behind a dark horse,

"Uhm…Nozomi-chan?" Kotori called her,

"Kotori-chan….morning…." Nozomi replied.

"What are you doing there?" Kotori asked.

"Uhnn..Just… a little thing…" Nozomi said.

Kotori tilts her head slightly, as she decided to take a closer look and..

"W-waaa! N-Nozomi-chan! W-what happened to your cheek?!" Kotori said in panic,

Nozomi took a deep breath….putting her hand mirror back inside the bag that was on the horse

"….an idiot bit my cheek…." Nozomi said sadly as she brought up her hand to rub the visible red bite mark on her cheeks.

"E-ehh?"

Nozomi faked a sob,

"She said she has been wanting to do that to me the whole time because I'm was too cute!" she pouts,

"I…I'm not sure with what's happening…but… uh…a-are you okay?" Kotori asked.

"No—I'm not okay! My heart is not okay!" Nozomi whined,

"W-wah? N-Nozomi-chan…."

"Ericchi is an idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Idioooot!"

"A-Ayase-san? Eeehh? So Ayase-san bit you?! B-but why?"

"I told you because she said I'm too cute for her!"

"I…I still don't understand…" Kotori said.

"Then let's just forget about the details! Give me a healing potion! I can't go to class with this mark on my face!"

"O-Okay?"

Kotori began to fluster.

"Ah… I shouldn't have complained about it, but that's fine… stupid Ericchi…! I was the one who came up with the idea of biting someone cute first!"

Nozomi said to herself as she walked away from the stable.

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, morning;

Eli lay down on the bed; she looked like she hasn't been getting enough sleep—not that she can…

As she sighed heavily, the tired blonde heard someone knock on her door politely,

"Eli… are you in?" a familiar voice.

"Yeah, come on inside… Umi…" Eli replied.

With that Umi cautiously opened the door,

"Eli… Good morning…" she greeted,

"Morning…" Eli replied,

"You don't look well, not getting enough sleep?" Umi asked.

"Yeah kind of… I was cleaning up Nozomi's room all night…" Eli replied.

"Oh…."

"What brings you here?" Eli asked.

"Ah…well…I made another sketch… I wonder if you can also add a few more functions to it later…"

"I'm sure I can, but don't you think you have to slowly add things? If I add too many functions at once, you'll get confused…." Eli replied,

"True, but I'm afraid that we will have to change mechanics for it later, so… it's better if we apply the set mechanics and take time to practice…" Umi handed over the rolled paper she had to Eli

"Ah, I see… then we should make the set mechanics and add the function later…" Eli replied as she opened the paper to check out the sketch.

They both remain quiet for a moment,

"Hmm… I think these mechanics are a little too complex, we can simplify it… but I think I would want to ask Maki's opinion about this sketch, because… adding a shield on the claws, will increase weight on her arms which will cause her speed to decrease—and make her less effective as an assassin…" Eli put a hand on her chin in thought.

"Ah…I didn't think about that…" Umi said.

"Then as for your bow, it looks good, but remember that you'll have to practice switching modes later… plus, along with your two-handed sword mastery, it will be a lot heavier with shield added…" Eli said.

"Understood…"Umi nodded in reply,

"Then as for mine, I think the idea is fine, but we need another way to work out the mechanics, because if I am to be using a shield that switches out from my sword-axe, then I'll need to make a mechanism that will allow me to instantly change into the shield—not this complex mechanics that will force me to wait 3 seconds for it to change…"

"I didn't think about that either, sorry…" Umi replied.

"It's fine…I like your idea. I think I can tweak a few things later to be able to make this happen… also, we need a powerful metal… just like my arm…" Eli replied.

"You mean… something like a Cathmore Alloys? Wouldn't that be hard to make? We need to craft it near the sun to be able to melt it… and we also need cold equipment's and mold too"

"That's why I've been trying to search around in Nozomi's house for any mechanics that will help to multiply energy functions, I'm going to try to apply it to the forge mechanics, see if it can multiply heat without destroying the forge and the mold too…"

"I see, then I shall wait for your search…" Umi replied,

"Tell me though, Umi, did you find anything useful…?" Eli asked.

"No...not really, but I just think that I really want to go home earlier today… there's something that's really bothering me…." Umi replied.

"Oh? Did she harass you too?"

"Kotori? No…Not at all…it just that… I…just don't feel comfortable here…" Umi said shyly,

"You can always tell me if they do anything to you…" Eli said.

"T-thanks, but it's alright… anyway, did you get my tablet?" Umi asked.

"I did, it was lucky of me that we had something happen and I got to enter the underground garage without having to sneaking in there…. " Eli used her hands to search under her pillow,

"It cost me something, but I got it. Now I hope you will use it well…" Eli continued as she handed Umi's tablet.

"I…I hope I can pay you back…" Umi said.

"No, it's fine. It was my fault anyway—I don't know why I was so nervous, I suddenly ended up doing something I didn't mean to… my brain totally went dead…"

"I…I see…." Umi transformed her tablet to a beret and wore it.

Eli smiled faintly at her,

"Looks good on you…" Eli said.

"T-Thanks…" Umi replied shyly.

"Now good luck with your activity, I'm going to try and get some sleep…" Eli said.

"Understood, then I shall leave you to it…" Umi said as she stood up and left the room.

* * *

School of Magic, lunch time;

Nozomi sat on her usual spot for lunch, her lunch box ready,

Kotori came by with a lunch box too,

"Ah, Nozomi-chan… sorry for the wait…" Kotori said as she handed the lunch box to Nozomi,

"No problem… thanks for the potion before, it saved me from the embarrassment for having a bite mark on my cheek…" Nozomi replied as she handed her lunch box to Kotori.

"Yup, I'm glad… but anyway, why didn't you just do that before you came to school? I only knew that you were leaving very early…"

Nozomi giggled,

"You caught me, I thought you won't get through that detail… but since you're a good friend, I tell you why…" Nozomi said with a faint smile,

Kotori remained quiet to listen,

"Because I want her to feel guilty…" Nozomi replied.

"Why?"

"She is all over me when she feels bad—then she will try to do everything she can to make up for it….it makes me feel so loved…" Nozomi chuckled,

"Sheesh, don't do that or she will eventually get tired of you…" Kotori said.

"Don't worry, I would still give her what she wants or needs. I'll play fair…"

Kotori sighed,

"You know what, Nozomi-chan, I think we've already gone too far. We should let them go home or enjoy their vacation…."

"Then, I guess we can just plan to make them enjoy their vacation…and at the same time, help me to forge my glove back… " Nozomi said.

"You want to take us to White Lily and Pure Love Lens Lake?"

"Yup, all of you… We need to hang out with each other to give them memory about earth, right? So there…"

"Are you sure that's alright? If they know you're using them to forge your glove back…"

"They won't know. Ericchi will not find it at home. I lost papa's journal long ago when I went to the city. Must be somewhere in the garbage by now, or destroyed… but anyway, I really need to get my glove back before they leave…"

"Hmm…Nozomi-chan, I still think that's not nice… are you sure you've changed?"

"There, you brought that up again, but I really was serious about changing myself for the better, ok? But there is something else that I really feel concerned with… I couldn't tell you right now, but just make sure you're well powered and stocked, ok? Tell that to Hanayo-chan too…""

"Something else?"

"Yup, it should be going to happen in about one year from now on…so, don't work too hard until then... and as for me, I'll play the cute, flirty and innocent girl in front of her until then… she is so helpless when I do that…"

Kotori sighed,

"Nozomi-chan…. don't confuse me with your attitude. I really don't understand what you truly want to do…"

"I do what I want to do…so don't mind me… besides, you'll enjoy being spoiled by her, just check out what I got her to make me this early in the morning…" Nozomi said as she gestured to the lunch box that Kotori held,

Kotori open it slowly, "T-th-this!" Kotori looks somewhat very excited,

"C-Cheese Cake!" Kotori's eyes sparkle as she looked into the excellent cheese cake in the lunch box,

"You like that, right? So I told her I want to eat that for my lunch… and she made it… thank me…"

"T-this is great! I'm glad I made you steamed bun with a lot of meat inside it!" Kotori said.

"Oh? Is that my lunch? Hmm… Sounds delicious!…" Nozomi replied as she open her lunch box,

Kotori eagerly took one bite,

"T-this is very perfectly made! I can't believe someone can make it like this!" Kotori said excitedly,

Nozomi also took one bite,

"Ahh..This meat steamed bun is so good too….I'm happy to have it!"

"Yup! I'm glad we decided to do this! Ayase-san is a really good cook!"

"Speaking of which, we should plan to make a school project month for next week…" Nozomi said.

"Next week? Ok, that means we're going out next week too, right?"

"Yup, next week…. I'll make sure to prepare everything for the event…"

"Alright! Hmm…I should synthesize supplies then…"

"Yup, you should, it might get a little bloody here and there…"

"Then, uh… maybe also a few poison to help the fight…. Hmmm I wonder how they're doing with their temporary weapons…"

"We can just give them their weapons back, no one will see them using it in those places… besides, I think they're fine unarmed."

"Eh, still don't think so… Umi-chan is an archer…" Kotori said.

"You gave her a wooden bow, right? That should be enough…"

"True…uh…then….what else….?"

* * *

**Yeah...what else?**

**lol.**

**See you next chapter! Again, it's going to take a while. Work first! Sorry . a**


	12. Sweet and Sweet Holiday

**Sorry for the wait! here is next chapter!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson too!**

* * *

Toujou's residence, morning, a week later;

Nozomi ran out of her room and found Eli already in the kitchen,

"G'Morning, Nozomi…" Eli greeted,

"Morning, Ericchi!" Nozomi greeted back cheerfully.

"Did you like yesterday's lunch?"

"Yup—but it would be nice if you could cut down on all the garlic…" Nozomi suggestively replied.

"You don't like them?" Eli asked.

"Hmm...no, it's not that I don't like them, it just that it doesn't fit the taste, I like it when you add meat in it!" Nozomi replied.

"But you're not supposed to eat meat until you lowered all the bad cholesterol…"

"I know…I know…"

"We should check that again today…." Eli said.

Nozomi began to slightly sweat in surprise "T-today?!"

"Yes, we're going out tomorrow, right? I was wondering if I could host a grilling party… so—…."

"A-aahh! G-grilling party, means that we're going to have Yakiniku as well?!"

"Yes, since you've been good and ate all the vegetables for this week, I wanted to spoil you a little tomorrow. I'll cook any meat you want…. But that's only if your bad cholesterol is lowered enough…and it will be just that one day… if not, then I'll cancel everything and go with steamed food…"

"T-T-Then! C-Cook me as much vegetables as you can today! I-I'll eat it!" Nozomi said eagerly.

"H-huh? Calm down. Eating as many vegetables as you can in one day, will not lower your cholesterol that much, it has a process to go through; you know…it takes days…"

"S-shit!" Nozomi said nervously,

"There, mind your words…"

"A-Ah! I …I'm sorry, it escaped my lips…"

"Put that aside, why are you so worried, have you been cheating on your diet?" Eli frowned

"N-No! Of course not! I ate your lunch every day!" Nozomi replied nervously,

The blonde squinted her eyes at the latter, "Really…?"

"Yes! It's very delicious! The Mayonnaise, the soft croissant, the tender buns…"

"I never made you croissants or buns—nor did I use any Mayonnaise…. What did you eat?" Eli crossed her arms,

Every accusation and statement thrown, felt like arrows shooting through the interrogated girl's head, making her unable to think straight. Her love for meat was too strong and she would do anything to try and have Eli grill meat during their trip,

"I-I…I mean….T-the…the lettuce taste good…" Nozomi stuttered in response

"What about the eggplant?"

"I…It was delicious! Of course! I-it was….uh…Harasho-yan!" Nozomi posed cutely,

"Nozomi…."

"It's true! Ericchi has to believe me!"

"If you're lying to me, I'll make you eat oatmeal every morning…. Plain oatmeal…"

"N-No! I'm not lying! It really was delicious! I always enjoy my lunch!"

"Alright, then what about the Broccolini?" Eli asked.

"It was tasty! Very sweet! I liked it!" Nozomi said nervously,

Eli smirked,

"Too bad, I never cooked you Broccolini…" Eli frowned.

"A-ah…uh…th-then…must've mistaken with the other lunches…"

"Other lunches?" Eli's frown became more planted on her face,

"Y-Yeah…we…we often uh…try…each other's lunch…I…I thought you were the one who cooked the Broccolini!"

"Oh….. Did you somehow pick out meat from those other lunches as well?"

"N-No! No! of course not…. I told you I'm a good girl! I haven't been eating meat from last week, I swear!"

Eli glared at her in silence,

"B-believe me, Ericchi…I…I'm really not lying…" Nozomi averted her gaze away from the blonde's intense glare,

"Nozomi…."

"A-aah! Uhhm…. Well! I have to go in 10 minutes! I'm going to brief my students about the school's project month! So…I need to go earlier… can you make my lunch faster?" Nozomi asked nervously, trying to busy herself with other things, so Eli could stop questioning her any further.

Eli smirked slightly as she continued to work on the latter's lunch.

Nozomi, afraid of anymore suspicion, kept her gaze away from the working blonde,

After a moment, the blonde finished packing Nozomi's lunch, and handed it to the said girl—though her eyes seem to be not amused.

"D-Don't look at me like that, Ericchi! You have to comfort me instead, I'm going to have to talk in front of a lot of students, you know! It's a difficult job!"

"Mhhmm…." Eli raised her eyebrow.

"Sheesh, Ericchi, you're not helping….now, where's my breakfast?" Nozomi asked.

"It's been on the table…." Eli said, lacking any sort of amusement in her voice.

"I'll go eat it quick, ok? Then off I go…"

"Don't choke on it…."

* * *

Outside, morning;

Maki and Rin stood next to each other, facing towards a long road, both of them stepping on their own skateboards, a dull claw-like glove on each girl's hand,

"….are you ready?" Maki asked.

"Yes! Always ready-nya!" excitement could be head from Rin's voice.

"Then… keep your heads up, there will be a lot of obstacles…" Maki warned.

"Ok-nya!" Rin replied energetically.

"One….." Maki started.

"Two…." Rin continued.

"Three!" Maki quickly dash out from the starting line, startling Rin, who was surprised seeing Maki dash off so quickly—without a hint of hesitation the cat-like-girl also picked up her pace to catch up with the red-head.

They both were very agile, having noticed as to how they swiftly zipped through the solid ground on their skateboards,

As Rin tried to skate past Maki, the said girl, without warning, turned and swiped her fist swiftly, attempting to hit Rin but she managed to dodge it as she ducks her head down.

"W-wah! Maki-chan! That's—…"

Before the sentence could be finished, Maki attempted another hit, this time she approached with a claw punch. Rin, with quick reflex, managed to move her body off to one side and avoid it without a problem,

"That's dangerous nya!" Rin said,

"That's the point, come on, fight back—I'm not even in my full power yet!" Maki said.

"If you say so!"

And the two skated faster,

Hanayo, who just got out from Inn, watched the two disappear into distance,

And at that moment Kotori approached her,

"Kayo-chan…" Kotori called her,

"Ah, Kotori-chan…!" Hanayo replied, turning towards the voice with a smile.

"How is it, did you already settle everything for the trip?" Kotori asked.

"Yup, I'm set; I think I can leave everything to my workers…"

"That's good…"

Hanayo giggled,

"I can't wait to have this vacation…" she said.

"Uhn…well…I….I can't wait either but…I just somehow feel very uncomfortable…." Kotori replied.

Hanayo stared at the uncertain face," why? Do you have any problem with Sonoda-san? I mean…Umi-chan….."

"No…it's not that…it just that I feel bad because… if…if we just go along with Nozomi-chan's plan… those three has been through enough…and we shouldn't just add our ego to their problem…"

"Nozomi-chan is just trying to test their true self, right?"

"I'm afraid it's a lot more wicked than that…I feel like she is trying to use them…especially…Ayase-san… because she is powerful and…uh…a little….simple… I don't know what Ayase-san herself is thinking about but…. I hope she isn't thinking badly about her…"

Hanayo smiled faintly,

"Kotori-chan… you want her to not thinking bad about Nozomi-chan, but you're thinking bad about her yourself… isn't that strange?"

"Uh…ah…well…yes…"

Hanayo giggled softly,

"To be honest, I don't know much about Ayase-san, or let's call Eli-san… but I believe she is not a bad person… none of them are…"

"I believe that too—or…trying to believe it at least, but, I just want to stay alert, considering Nozomi-chan's feeling…. Or, let's say, warning… I'm still not sure about the things she knows or keeps in her head about those three. It's still too difficult to understand the truth…"

"Then I suppose we're just not meant to guess the results this early in time. Let's try to wait and gather up more information… we're about to try and hang out with each other, right? Then let's see what the future has to offer…" Hanayo replied with a gentle smile.

"Kayo-chan, why are you so calm…"

"Why…?" Hanayo hummed, "hmm…maybe because I already trust them…"

"Are you sure?" Kotori asked.

"I'm sure… because I have a hope for them…"

"What do you mean?"

"Kotori-chan, do you want to know about something?" Hanayo asked,

"Eh? Something?" Kotori wondered,

"Yup, if you have the time, come by my office later, and I'll tell you…"

* * *

The Forest, afternoon;

Niko, Honoka, and Umi walked through the forest in search of materials,

"…How does it feel to live as pirate for you, Niko?" Umi asked curiously.

Niko thought for a moment, "Huh? Well… It's okay I guess… with Honoka always trying to cause trouble—or just accidentally get us into one, there's nothing more to go on about…"

"There! I really didn't plan to cause trouble, you know!" Honoka pouts,

"Yeah sure, you're just trying to get constant attention from those three Space polices… you know, the ones in…. A-Rise Ship…" Niko said.

"Eh? I have no idea what you're talking about…" said a clueless Honoka.

"Oh! Come on! I know that Kira Tsubasa girl has been watching you 24/7!" Niko said.

"Huh? I still don't get it…"

"Kira Tsubasa? The name seems familiar…" Umi thought out loud while fixing the dark red beret worn on her head.

"Of course, you're from Terra, right? I believe you've been working with them from time to time…" Niko said.

Umi tried to recall, "I also remember the other two… Anjuu and Erena… were their names…I believe"

"Oh—so they really are team mates…" Niko exclaimed.

"Yes, pretty much. We often came across them in a few missions and I think Tsubasa-san often mentioned about a specific pirate girl that she really likes… I'm not sure though…"

"Definitely Honoka…" Niko smirked.

"M-Me? But…why?" Honoka flustered.

"Because of the constant trouble you make?" Niko said.

"Actually…when she said like…. I think she actually meant as in…she likes her…. And went on about how, that pirate girl showed a lot of leader charisma, while being very humble…" Umi said.

"Oh! Then that's absolutely me!" Niko said.

"Yup, should be Niko-chan…" Honoka nodded in agreement.

Umi chuckled slightly,

"That's sort of hinting out something, but anyway, how do you guys go out in space? I never see any of you wearing a space suit…" Umi wondered.

"Ah, we have…this thing called a red hot potion… it keeps us warm…then we also use… the air-bubble magic, that helps to keep our oxygen. We all know how to cast it…" Niko said.

"Eh? Air bubble?"

"Yeah, it lets you breathe anywhere, even in underwater. We just have to make sure we renew the spell every ten hours…. our last ship had that magic casted on it as well, so it pretty much helps to keep you breathing—and more importantly, it has a shield as well. Maybe it works as good as your ships…"

"Wow, is it really? Then how did it get destroyed?" Umi asked.

"Because it fell?" Honoka replied.

"No—Idiot, because we forgot to put up the shield and that unknown ammo ripped through our flag…" Niko half yelled, wondering how Honoka could be so dense at times.

"What does the flag do?" Umi asked again.

"It keeps us flying… It's actually a flying carpet… Kotori made it for us…" Niko replied.

"Flying carpet….?"

"Yup, so you can actually just use that to fly around, we usually do that to check out our surroundings before flying our ships… being a pirate is tough, you know…"

"Then why are you being one… you know the pirate title is not something you should be proud of…"

Niko stared at Umi for a couple of seconds, "Huh? What are you talking about? Don't tell me you only see pirates as ordinary outlaws?" Niko said.

"Yes…I do." Umi replied without a single doubt in her voice.

"T-there… you're being a bit too unfriendly… but eh, we're being pirate for a good purpose, you know we—"

"I disagree. I think you're just trying to make excuses to make yourself looks good. You're trying to be someone like Robin Hood, but you know it's not right to do so. Robin Hood will never be a good example…" Umi cuts in before Niko could finish what she was saying.

"Uh…well… yeah, but..um…Who the hell is Robin Hood?"

"You need to read more books…" Umi stated flatly

"W-what?" Niko flustered.

"This is just a question though, Umi-chan, is it ok if we kill bad people? I mean…that's something more burdening than just stealing from others and to be given by others, right?" Honoka asked, finally deciding to speak up about the topic.

"That's….." Umi paused for a moment,

"That's a whole different situation… because we're faced with kill or be killed scenario…Besides, it's a job, and we are forced to do it…" Umi continued.

"I can agree with the first one… but for the second one… why is it alright for us to it under someone else's command? Isn't that just an excuse to do what we agree with?" Honoka asked.

"T-that's true…." Umi replied as she smirked wryly.

"Eh? I was really asking though?" Honoka said innocently.

Umi looked somewhat bothered.

"Hah! Of course you're not doing the right thing either!" Niko said mockingly.

Umi couldn't reply to her,

Honoka continued, "I was just wondering about that because you know we can always reject if we disagree… or move out to another planet immediately…"

"It's not that simple… or perhaps, it's already too late to think about that." Umi replied.

"Eh, true…I'm not sure how I got here either... I think my parents already moved here long time ago" Honoka seemed unsure, but didn't really seem to bother her too much,

"Lucky you…" Umi smiled wryly.

"Well-well, since this is getting a little awkward, why don't we move on to another topic, like… Ey—you want to help us rebuild our ship? I know you people know a lot about these things…" Niko proposed the thought.

"I'm afraid I'm not an expert in this. Maybe you should ask Eli instead…" Umi replied.

"Heh—asking that girl is like asking for a death… just look at her, it's like she is going to kill someone at first sight…"

"Eli is not that bad…" Umi said.

"Really? I doubt it, her eyes are so cold, just like a certain someone…." Niko smirked.

"Nozomi-chan is not that bad either…" Honoka said.

"Huh? You're saying the weirdest things ever, that girl is a killer…" Niko said matter-of-factly, while crossing her arms over her chest.

"But she changed recently, right? Even though sometimes she is still acts like her previous self… but I sometimes saw her going off to school with a smile, or a blush, or... uh… eagerly…"

"Hah—still suspicious, you know. She has a lot of tricks up on her sleeves, or at least I believe she does. I mean, come on, she has been beating up pirates and threaten them from time to time, don't expect her to be an innocent girl who just goes around raging about herself and her past…" Niko said.

"Hn….but… she can't be all bad, right? There must still be a side of her that's good… or at least a possibility for her to really change… like I said; she already started to do so…"

Niko still wasn't sure about the whole, 'Nozomi-turning-good,' thing, she doubted the whole concept of it, but she couldn't deny the idea of someone changing. After all even the worst of all people has a chance to change, "Well-yeah…. But I just won't believe her that easily, okay?"

Umi, who had been standing on the side listening, still seemed to be a little bothered with a lot of things in her mind, though she decided to stay quiet.

"Well-okay, I hope we can all get along tomorrow. I'm sure we can see who is who then…" Honoka said concluding the whole subject.

"Hey, aren't you a little too smart for a Honoka?" Niko stared at the said girl

"E-eh?! What do you mean?!" Honoka asked.

The raven-haired girl began to walk, "Nope...it's nothing… let's just continue searching for the materials."

"There! Niko-chan! You're being mean!" Honoka whined.

And the three continued their search.

* * *

The School of Magic, afternoon;

Nozomi finished her lecture, and went to her usual spot to sit and wait for Kotori to come by with her meat filled lunch box.

A few minutes passed, before Kotori finally came out with her lunch box as well.

"Ah, sorry, I had to answer a few questions from my students…" Kotori apologized.

"That's fine, are they clear enough with the project though?" Nozomi asked.

"Yep, they will start working on it— I also forbid them to go towards any difficult areas, which means that they won't dare to go near The White Lily and Pure Love Lens Lake… but I wonder if any of them will actually follow the rules…" Kotori said as she handed her lunch box over to Nozomi.

"Those kids won't even able to pass the dark forest, trust me. If there's any, I'll expect to get a report about students going missing during their project month. Which I probably will…they are trying to do a lot of things to try and impress us… what a bunch of curious punks…." Nozomi replied as she traded her lunch box to Kotori.

"Hnn… I hope they're not trying too hard though, the library supports enough facts, right?"

"The Library is always open for those who are curious… we even give 24 hours service, you know…and even if we don't have the book, we have that old tree and his saplings to ask. They know a lot about Earth and nature…"

"True… then I guess we can take our hands off school for a while now…" Kotori said feeling content and relaxed at the thought of being on vacation.

"Yep, we can…. And by the way Kotori-chan…is there any chance of having a potion that enables one to…uh…decrease… bad cholesterol?" Nozomi asked.

"Uh..why? Are you having problems with that? I'm sure I have something but it will drastically decrease your weight too… and I'm sure you don't want that since…uh..to be honest, you don't look like you're having any problems with your weight…" Kotori said.

"Ah—well…it just that… uh…I think I need to do something about my cholesterol…." Nozomi said a little shyly.

"If you eat enough vegetables and nuts, I'm sure you will be able to decrease it… but it will take a lot of days for that to actually happen…." Kotori replied.

"Then..uh…can you somehow craft something that's able to hasten that effect?" Nozomi asked.

"Sadly, I don't have the recipe yet, but I'm sure I can come up with it if you give me a month or so…" Kotori replied.

"No-no…I don't have a month…I need it today…" Nozomi said.

"Eh? I'm not sure...I honestly don't want to give you the medicine I have, it's too risky and you might turn into skin and bones with your current weight… and you'll stay like that for days and of course you will be weakened as well… so it's really not a medicine for people like you…"

"Then...how about something to purify blood?"

"Antidote, yes, but no, it can't purify the blood from bad cholesterol… you have to do it manually…for now at least…"

"uhhh….then I wonder if I can find any magic that can do something like that…" Nozomi wondered with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Why not ask Kayo-chan? I'm sure she knows something…" Kotori said.

"Ah—True! Then, I'll go ask her later on my way home…. But as for now…" Nozomi opens her lunch box,

"It's time to chow down on this baby…" Nozomi said as she sees a delicious looking tenderloin steak with sauce inside the box…

"Mmm….looks so good…" Nozomi said.

"Eh—uhm…well, honestly, if you want to decrease bad cholesterol, you shouldn't eat that…." Kotori said nervously as sweat drops started to become more evident on her face.

"That's fine; I only eat this once a day…it won't be a problem… right…?" Nozomi remained clueless towards her surroundings, while focusing on the meat.

Kotori remained quiet as she watched a blonde haired beauty slowly approach behind Nozomi.

"Yup—It's no problem at all, since the person who makes the healthy vegetable lunch will never know…until now at least" the voice rang through Nozomi's ears, making the said girl completely pause what she was doing, before she slowly turned her head to see the familiar figure.

"E-Ericchi…h-how nice…to see you" Nozomi smirked wryly as her eyebrows twitched.

"Likewise…." Eli frowned.

"W-what are you doing here….m-more importantly… how did you get here?" Nozomi asked, still in place.

"Walking… Running, however a person gets from one place to the other…" Eli put her hands to her hips, and stared at the latter, completely not amused.

"Y-you didn't have to come all the way here…silly…I was going to be home earlier today…." Nozomi replied, trying to sweet talk her way out of the situation.

"Hmm…and if I never came here… I wouldn't know what kind of things you were doing in school…behind my back…" she smirked

"L-Look…I'm just helping Kotori-chan eat her lunch…." Nozomi smiled awkwardly.

"Ehh? But…Aren't we trading lunch because you said you can't have meat at home because Ayase-san is allergic to meat?"

"Who's allergic to meat?" Eli frowned more towards the purple-head.

"U-uuhh…ahh…I…I thought you were…." Nozomi looked away,

"Nozomi-chan…. you lied to me…." Kotori said sadly.

"N-No-no! I…really thought Ericchi is allergic to meat!"

"Nozomi…" Eli lifted up her sleeves.

"Yes, Ericchi?" Nozomi turned at her.

"You…." Eli felt chagrined, and anger scored up to the face as her eyes and smirked lips began to twitch.

"I…I'm Toujou Nozomi! Nice to meet you!" Nozomi said cheerfully.

"That's not it!" Eli yelled about to grab the meat away.

"Ahh! Look an UFO!" Nozomi pointed to the empty sky behind the blonde and quickly bolted with her meat, eating as she ran.

"H-hey! Come back here!" Eli chased after her.

"N-Nozomi-chan! Don't run while eating!" a flustered Kotori shouted from the back.

"Wait there you bad girl! Drop that at once!" Eli yelled.

"Daaa…Ewhipchi gwoinp twop cwacthp mwep!" Nozomi shouted with her mouthful.

"Don't talk while eating—drop that food this instant!"

* * *

Koizumi's Inn, office, Dusk;

Hanayo checked on her belongings for tomorrow, she listed everything and double checked each of the items.

Suddenly….

"Kayo-chinn!" Rin shouted as she entered the room without a single warning.

"Aaaahhh!" Hanayo swears her heart jumped up a few octaves.

"There, Rin…. Don't just go in like that…. what if she's currently busy…" Maki stated calmly from behind.

"Ah! hehe…sorry… I was too excited nya…" Rin said shyly.

"Hnn..Rin-chan, you really surprised me. What's all the excitement?" Hanayo asked calmly.

"Well…Kayo-chin! I just practiced a lot of new moves from Maki-chan! I want to show it to you-nya!" Rin jumped up and down in excitement.

"Ah, really? You two must've been having fun…" Hanayo replied with a sweet smile.

"Yeah-nya! Kayo-chin should play with us too!"

"Uhn…well…I still have a lot of work to do before tomorrow…." Hanayo replied.

"So I guess we really just need to wait for tomorrow before we can do anything together…" Maki stood with her arms over lapping each other right below her chest.

"Okay nya…" Rin pouted slightly in disappointment.

"Come on, it just tomorrow. Let's just take a break or something so we can go on traveling tomorrow…" Maki said.

"Yup, you two should take a break… I'll do the same after listing these items…"

"Oh…. need any help with that?" Maki offered.

"No-no… it's alright…just take a break…" Hanayo replied.

With a small knock on the door, someone decides to speak, "Uhhmm! Excuse me!" a familiar voice rang outside, near the door. Maki and Rin turned their heads around towards the person,

"Ah…Kotori-chan…" Hanayo greeted.

"Uh…about this morning…." Kotori glanced at Maki and Rin,

"ah—right… Maki-chan, Rin-chan, can you leave? I need to make a small little talk with Kotori-chan." Hanayo said.

"Ah, ok…" Rin replied as Maki nodded in response, and the two of them walked out from Hanayo's office as Kotori entered and closed the door.

Rin and Maki remained quiet for a moment as they started to walk away.

Rin sighed weakly,

"They must be talking about her again-nya…" Rin started up the conversation.

"Eh? Her….?" Maki wondered.

"Yup…her…."

"You mean Nozomi?" Maki asked.

"Yeah, who else-nya… she is the only person they talk about…"

"It's always been like this?"

"Yup… every time Nozomi-chan causes trouble… they will go in private time and start talking about how they solve it. I know it's hard to talk with Nozomi-chan, but sometimes they make me want to just go and straight up talk to her-nya… but I will never be able to do so… because…I'm a pirate…"

Maki nodded slightly in understanding,

"What will you say if you were able to talk to her?" Maki asked.

"Tell her that she is troublesome-nya… and tell her that she always makes her friends worry…" Rin said.

"Why?" Maki asked.

"Uhn…. There are a lot of things that happened…but…basically-nya…. They just never straight up talk to her…ever since that day…."

"That day?"

"Yeah, one day they went to inform Nozomi-chan about a bandit attack that happened to their delivery caravan…" Rin said.

Maki remain quiet to listen.

"They were expecting Nozomi-chan to give a little talk or some kind of intimidation, but… she went straight to slaughter them instead…all of them, then placed their bodies along the road…she said, that will keep them away… but it's scary to see it along the way…." Rin continued.

"Heh—she is acting like the old evil kings…" Maki commented.

"Yes! Exactly-nya! That's what everyone said. But Nozomi-chan almost never listens…but… I also think it's wrong to do it like this too-nya…that's why I've been wanting to somehow make them clash with each other and finish up every problem on the spot… but…I'm worried if it will end up to be a real fight…"

"Well, to be honest, if it was me and my seniors, we would just brawl it out while talking. It's always been punch first, ask question while punching…we never see the point of talking behind someone's back… but…sometimes, we just will drop the topic if it's not something that we can solve…"

"So do you think we should just drop the topic-nya?"

"I wouldn't say that… because, if it's really a big problem, we have to try and solve it no matter what…"

"Well…we rarely see Nozomi-chan killing anyone lately-nya… not that she is merciful, but it was just because we never see anyone reporting to her about a problem. She is very protective towards her people-nya…"

"Eh—sounds like someone…but, I think you're right at this point. But I doubt talking to her will do anything…" Maki said.

"Uh..you're right nya…" Rin said.

"Let's think of something else… maybe there's a way to somehow get everyone to talk with each other?" Maki thought.

"Think of something….uh…maybe Honoka-chan can come up with something-nya…"

"Honoka…huh? That ginger haired pirate? One that often goes around with Umi?"

"Umi….Umi-chan… that scary dark blue haired girl-nya?"

"Yeah…"

"Then yep! That's the right person…!"

"Then, we should wait for them to get back and have a talk with them…"

* * *

Toujou's residence, night time;

Nozomi slowly walked back home with her hand on her stomach, with Eli helping her to get in.

"My…stomach…" Nozomi said weakly.

"That's for eating while running…" Eli sighed.

"But it's your fault for being angry at me…" Nozomi replied.

"….no one told you to run while eating…"

"But it's delicious… I didn't want to miss it—I feel like that would really be my last time eating meat…"

"It is! That is until you get your bad cholesterol lowered… you'll have to start controlling your food balance…"

"Sheesh—why is that even important anyway, people die no matter how hard you try to stay alive, you'll still end up dead… so that's why you should just enjoy life until something actually kills you."

"You know, what if you're not dead and instead disabled and no one will kill you—leaving you tormented?"

"Hmm…that's…."

"See? It's important to live a healthy life. Plus—it's not funny if you have this heart attack during your best moment, such as, when you're trying to kill pirates?"

"Ah—right…"

Eli sighed weakly.

"So don't cheat again, ok? I'll watch over you all the time from now on… until I have to go back at least…" Eli said.

"Ah—right… it's been about two weeks already…so… there's…one more month left…" Nozomi replied.

"Yes… and I hope you will really let us go back home…because we really have to go back …"

"Hmmmnn… it will be lonely here without you… no one to have a quarrel with… Kotori-chan and Hanayo-chan would be always busy with their own things and they're more likely to drop off the topic and talk behind my back later…." Nozomi said.

"That because you're such a stubborn person…" Eli said.

"I know—but look at you, instead of dropping off the topic, you'll fight your arguments until we agree…or be forced agree… I really like that, you know…"

Eli smiled faintly,

"That's just the way I argue with my juniors… we just never hold back anything… we live together and we must work together until we split… there's no point of holding back any thoughts… except when we know we will never be able to agree—then we should just leave the others alone with what they believe."

"Like fighting about whose religion's better…?"

"We don't have religions…sorry, we just don't want to have anything like that…"

"Ehh—so you don't believe in a force that is greater than this world…"

Eli chuckled,

"There certainly is a greater force than this world, but if you mean 'Earth' that stands for the 'world' you're talking about… then I'll just laugh at you…"

"What's that? You're saying it like I'm sort of a dork…" Nozomi pouts.

"This earth is big, but there are bigger planets than this... and higher intelligent creatures than humans—or brighter ones…and of course, they live with better technologies as well…"

"Is that so? But we don't accept your technologies, so I don't know if your 'better' is our 'better'…"

"You know, Nozomi… there is this planet in another galaxy… it's a lot prettier than the Earth, but it is not meant for humans—because it's nature doesn't suit us. It's a very cold place and you can't even light a fire there….and we always wonder, how could the living, live there? We can only last about 3 days at maximum—calculated with our upgraded suit with extra body warmer…. So then, we met these creatures, they were blue and they had four legs, they didn't have a pair of eyes but they had one bright shining eye on their head that was shaped like a diamond, most of their bodies were skinny and wore some kind of attire that looked like it was made out of ice, at first sight, we thought they were a giant breed of praying Mantis because of how they were shaped like…and thought that they would absolutely kill us in sight—but they didn't…"

"They have their own language and they know about us—they even understand what we're saying. Apparently, they already have some kind of history with humans...with the space polices to be specific. Then they mentioned…as to how they have been investigating us, from our home place—the Earth until our artificial Earth, Terra… do you know what they say about us?"

"No… what are did they say?" Nozomi asked back.

"They said, most of us are selfish and too prideful, we always talk about how bad the other is and how good we are, but we never talk about how good the other is and how bad we are… Most of us never realize how big the galaxy is and how small we are….and we never realize that technologies are just something to help our life—and not run it… so when you say, you don't accept our technologies… and ask what is better technologies to us… means that you're thinking that technologies run our life and we have to agree to be able to walk in the same path…"

"It's nothing like that, you're thinking too far—and too complicated. It's just as light as the question… what is better technology to you? I know you're using the same technologies as your people, but, I want your personal opinion…" Nozomi said.

"My personal opinion? Huh? To be honest…. I've started to think that I am a technology… something replaceable…something that can be fixed at will…and existed not to live but to help other's live… so when you ask me—I would say… better technologies are things that can serve better help than me and … one that I or other humans can make…" Eli said—somewhat a little sadly.

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"The last time I checked there's only a quarter part of you that's actually a machine. You're still human on the other parts…"

"That's not what you said before…" Eli smiled wryly.

"What's that? Are you disappointed that I changed my mind about you?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes… it would be nice if people would stop trying to cheer me up… I feel like I'll lose my function every time they do…" Eli replied.

"Your function? That's like you're going against what you have dreamed of… didn't you want to be freed from being 'functioned' as what you think you were born for? I mean, look…I gave you another path to your future… you can stay here after you graduate… why are you still thinking about your 'function'…." Nozomi asked.

"Honestly…. I…I think I started to feel out of the place…ever since you left me at home…I…I tried to live peacefully…but…I…I started to feel a little thirsty instead of peaceful…. I want to kill…I want to fight… I think it's already carved in me…and I just can't seem escape from it…" Eli replied a little nervously.

"Hmm…. is that so? Then I guess you have the thing that I call as—blood lust… you find killing to be something fun, right?" Nozomi asked as she smiled mischievously.

"No…not quite… I didn't do that randomly or at will… I only do that when I'm in battle field…and…only because I'm upset that someone would use their perfect body to do something bad instead of something useful…"

"Sounds like you're just trying to make an excuse to kill…" Nozomi replied.

"You can say anything you like about that…but it's really not something I crave for… I have my own thoughts… I'm not exactly a lawful person… I always do what I want to do…and what I think I need to do… maybe when I graduate, I'll just stick around with where I belong …for the best of myself…and for the best of the others as well…" Eli said.

"Hmm… that's not allowed, you know… what about me? You're my lover; you have to stick around with me…."

"We can always break up later, right?"

"Nope, we can't…. you've touched me, so you have to be responsible… take me with you…"

"Take you with me? No…I don't think I can do that… who will take care of your work if I do that…?"

"Actually… in one more month, the school will choose a new headmaster to take care of the school… I usually register myself on the list, then students will of course choose me again—but I can always not do it, right? So by the time I allow you to leave, I've freed myself from my responsibility… so of course I can go with you…"

"Is that so? Then…I couldn't say anything else about that…but…. tell you what? I still don't think you can come with me... perhaps you really still should just stick with Earth…" Eli said.

"Nope— not doing that. I want to come with you…"

"Nozomi—…" Eli tried to protest,

"How will I make sure that you're really not going to betray me once you get to leave? Besides, it's not fair if you're the only one who knows about my life… so I want you to introduce me to your life—I might like the way you live, you know…" Nozomi cuts in.

"Nozomi! First of all, you really don't want to live there! It's true that Terra is incredibly a place with high-technology where they can duplicate the environment of the earth—but they're really all artificial… It's true that you can get more jobs as there are more things to take care of, but it's also a place with high discipline, you are not allowed to do a single mistake or it will cause a huge chaos…. I mean, look at you! You can't even take care of your own house—too lazy, you say… how can you live there?!"

"I can deal with that…"

"No you can't! Listen, you will have to wear your suit all the time… because if an accident happens, you'll have to be ready. Second, you have to understand that Terra is a very cold place as well—a lot colder than the Earth—even though it's still nothing compared to the planet I mentioned. But look, Nozomi…. You can't live there!"

"I said, I can! You're underestimating me! I have magic!"

"Nozomi! You can't use your magic in Terra; it's not even allowed there to begin with, people hate them—just like how your people dislike our technology!"

"Then I just have to do it quietly, right?!"

"No! I don't want to risk that! Stay on Earth!"

Nozomi puffed her cheek as she frowned at Eli.

"Not that face again!" Eli frowned back at her.

"Fine! Ericchi can go home without me…" Nozomi said—still with puffed up cheeks.

Eli sighed,

"What about this… I'll install some communication system around your house, in the underground garage perhaps? So you can communicate with me anytime…"

"We have this magic called telepathy…. I can go learn that and install it on your head instead…" Nozomi said.

"You can't look on my face with that…"

"At least we don't use electricity or an actual device!"

"Hah… I bet your signal won't even reach the space…"

"Says who? If I have my glove, I can reach you anywhere! Even if you're over a billion kilometers away from me…"

"But you don't!"

"I'll make it again! Just you watch! I'm a brilliant engineer like my father!"

"Sure-sure…but, by the way, is your stomach better now?"

Nozomi remain quiet to that question.

"You look like you're already well…"

"Ahhh—Ericchi! I'm…I'm hurting!" Nozomi started to get all dramatic.

Eli smirked,

"Aaahhghghh….. My stomach! I—I think I'm dying! C-Carry me to the bedroom!" Nozomi continued with coughs.

"Then—would be nice if someone can cook me a nice dinner…then prepare some stuff for tomorrow as well… and then…." She coughed again.

"…read me a bedtime story…. Singing me a lullaby with her…sexy voice…"

"Why would I need to do that…" Eli stood baffled at the latter's acting

"I'm sick! No tolerance to the sick? How cruel! I'm your lover too! You're so irresponsible!"

"What…."

"Ahh—I'm getting dizzy! I can't stand…" Nozomi faked a fall towards Eli.

The said blonde catches her—still with a smirk on her face.

"Ericchi… hold me gently… then let's go enjoy our secret garden…"

"What on shattering Earth is 'our secret garden'… do you want me to take you to your now-pretty and clean backyard?"

"Ericchi… what kind of playgirl are you… why don't you know what 'secret garden' means…"

"What….?"

"What about core? Do you know what core means?"

"Huh? Like... Intel core? Dual core? Core 2 Duo? Core i7? Core i8? That's ancient computers…"

"You should read more adult books…"

"Huh?!"

"We're adults, Ericchi! We should read that! Together!" Nozomi comically declared

"No…."

"Trust me, its fun… we need to learn a lot from them…"

"I'll go prepare dinner…."

"Wait! Where are you going?! Ericchi! You still have to carry me! Sheesh! Why can't you be more romantic…?!"

* * *

The Village, Morning;

Everyone settled with their entire luggage packed neatly. Nozomi's car parked near the village entrance, with her motorcycle on the other side,

"So where are we going? You haven't told us the location…" Maki asked.

"First destination is White Lily, and then next, to the Pure Love Lens Lake which should be around the deeper areas…" Nozomi said.

Maki widen her eyes, it was exactly where she needed to go with her seniors, but she cleared all her thoughts and emotion from her face and decided to stay calm.

"That would be a tough place to go…" Hanayo said.

"Not really, they're pretty easy for me…" Nozomi said proudly.

"Uhn…so…we…..we are going with the car while you and Ayase-san are going with the motorcycle?" Kotori asked.

"Call me Eli…. Please don't be too formal…" Eli said.

"Uh..okay…so..Eli-chan…..?"

"That works…"

"That goes the same with me, please…" Umi said.

"Ok then, that goes the same with me too.." Hanayo said.

"Then everyone should start calling each other names from now on…" Nozomi decided for everyone.

"Yup! That would be nice-nya!" Rin added in happily.

"We will set up camp near the Diamond Princess Mine, it's a lot safer there than in the White Lily… then I hope Hanayo-chan's team brought enough food supply…" Nozomi looked at Hanayo who was standing beside the car, next to Rin and Maki.

"We do…. I triple checked them this morning…" Hanayo replied.

"Then, Kotori-chan, I hope your team brought enough supplies…" Nozomi next looked at Kotori who was standing beside Umi.

"Yup, triple checked them too this early morning…" Kotori chirped.

"Then as for us…" Nozomi gestured to Eli,

Eli handed a pair of gloves to Maki and a folded bow to Umi—both were warped neatly in leather cloth.

"Reason of Courage!" Umi said cheerfully as she accepted it from the blonde.

"Daring!" Maki said just as excitedly, taking it off of Eli's hands.

"Woah… their weapons look very neat-nya…" Rin said in awe.

"Hmmph! You've seen that before…" Niko said.

"Eh, but I've never been this close to it-nya!" Rin said.

Niko smirked,

"By the way, I can't let you use your ammo, so you're going to stick with the wooden arrow…" Nozomi said.

"That's fine… I'm happy enough to be allowed to touch this again…" Umi ran her hands over the smooth works on her bow, feeling every nooks and curves.

"Yeah, this is awesome…" Maki pitched in.

"Don't use that before we reach the destination…" Eli reminded them.

Umi and Maki both nodded in unison. "Understood…"

"By the way… this is just a warning—but don't try to do anything suspicious… or you'll have to face the consequences…" Nozomi said.

"We won't…." Umi and Maki said.

"I'm not only talking to you two… I'm talking to my friends…and their pirates…" Nozomi giving the others a slight frown on her face.

Kotori averted her eyes,

"W-What are you talking about, Nozomi-chan… we just met them a few days ago…and you agreed to let them work with us to pay their debts…" Kotori said.

"Exactly…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"Sheesh… stop confusing me… we're friends…" Kotori said—somewhat worried, then she hid her hand and crossed her fingers.

Umi noticed it, though she decided to stay quiet about it.

"I'm just saying, no harm done…" Nozomi softened her smile,

"Let's just go there already!" Niko said impatiently.

"Yeah-nya! I can't wait to play-nya!"

"Yup! We will have sweet and sweet holiday!" Honoka said excitedly.

Maki looked at Honoka in confusion, "What's a…sweet and sweet holiday? Why did you even use 'and' if it just the same thing…"

"She doubles the sweet, Maki-chan…" Hanayo said as she giggled,

"Huh? I still don't get it…"

"Just stop questioning logic, we can't use your logic here…" Niko said

"Says the one with the 'most' logic…" Maki said sarcastically as she twirled her hair between two fingers.

"H-hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Niko yelled.

"Nothing, let's just move on…"

"There! You're an ass!"

"Says the 'kindest' person in the galaxy…." Maki took a sarcastic tone once more.

"Why You-!"

* * *

**Ok~ that's it!**

**Hope you enjoy it. Next chapter will be taking a while too. but thanks for understanding!**

**I'm still doing my best~**


	13. Splitting The Team

**Sorry for the wait!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves and follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson too!**

**I hope you're not getting bored yet but this is the next chapter. it's moving slowly but please be patient! (and I think this might gonna be as long as The Fool's journey lol.)**

* * *

The Diamond Princess Mine, Afternoon;

Upon arriving at their destined location, everyone noticed an area surrounded by rocky hills, and around it were grassy fields with few trees that complimented it by adding color to the rough nature. Coming near a cave entrance, they parked their vehicles and everyone slowly started to hop out.

"Wah―it's very breezy here…" Honoka said in awe as she opened the car door.

"The air is a lot fresher than the village-nya…" Rin said, shoving Honoka out of the vehicle.

Maki came out from the car,

"Umi, your driving is certainly a lot better than mine…" Maki said somewhat a little awkwardly.

"That's so sudden, but thanks…"

"D-Don't be flattered with that, I'm just saying…" Maki replied with a slight blush on her face.

Umi didn't quite know where to lead the conversation, "Then I guess good luck on learning more?"

"Hmm…can you just say nothing to that?"

Umi quietly obliged.

"Perfect…" Maki said before she left.

Next Kotori stepped down from the car,

"I guess she still hasn't moved on from that…" Umi whispered as she brushed her hand on her beret.

"Eh-? Fr-From what?" Kotori asked― a little confused.

"Ah―uhm..well…n..no…it's nothing…" Umi said nervously.

Then she sighed weakly, getting back her calm posture,

"Anyway, we should set the camp…" she continued,

"That would be easy cake… get some distance then someone go press the button…." Nozomi ordered.  
"Excuse me?" Umi flustered. The others shared the same confusion.

Nozomi chuckled,

"Sheesh, you're all a bunch of dorks. Just get out of range then, I'll go press the button…." She said―somewhat proudly as she walked up to her car while everyone did as they were told.

A few seconds later, after pressing the button, Nozomi's car suddenly began to transform― magically. Eli, Umi and Maki jaw dropped at the scene while the rest looked amazed by it all.

The car that used to look like a car now transformed into a building. The machine, the seat and everything else turned into lounge seats and tables, plus some even turned into a few appliances, such as a stove and a room that was assumed to be the bathroom. One of the walls was missing, but it was easily replaced with a cap, which appeared to be an entrance to get inside the building. All the other things on the car were set up neatly on one side of the room.

Everyone clapped their hands except for the three soldiers for they were too busy feeling awed with their jaws still left hanging and their eyes unblinking.

"There-there, no need to praise me that much…" Nozomi said―proudly as she walks out of the car.

"That's awesome-nya!"

"Now, let's get on the next step. Setting up the supplies…" Nozomi said.

"Ah―for that, we can just leave the container there…" Kotori said, pointing at the stack of boxes on one side of the room.

"Alright, then I suppose that's set… next… let's split up into teams to find materials faster…" Nozomi said.  
"Eh? Teams…? Sure I guess…" Hanayo said.

"So how will we split up the teams?" Rin asked.

"Easy, I'll go with Ericchi, and then the rest of you adjust yourselves…" Nozomi said.

"Ehh? No…I don't think that's a good idea…" Kotori said.

"Then, one of you can come with us…but I doubt you'll be of any use… Ericchi and I are already a perfect team." Nozomi said.

"Hey―wherever Eli is, she's always perfect and will remain that way… so that doesn't make sense…" Maki said while crossing her arms.

"hmm…" Nozomi looked at the said blonde "Is that so? Then Ericchi, what do you say about this?" she asked.

"Let's just split up according to roles…" Eli said.

"Roles?" Everyone flustered.

"Ah―sorry, but I've been watching and hearing about you all…So therefore this might not be that accurate but, all nine of us can split up into three teams with balanced roles and strategies…" Eli said.  
"Oh― I think I'll like that…" Nozomi nodded in approval.

"There are three chances of teams though…" Eli said.

"We won't be here for just a day, so I think we can switch teams every now-and-then as the days go by…" Hanayo said.

Umi agreed, "That's a good idea, so we can actually get to know each other…"

"Heh―I wouldn't say that but alright; tell me what you have in mind, Eli…" Maki said.

"First, I'll tell you how I split up the team, first team arrangement is weighted in balance, and where we all get one role in each, but each team will also have its specialty as well. So even though it's in the same role, it's still not quite the same. But I'm considering that from your abilities―getting each of you in maximum power and coordination…" Eli explained.

"Like what?" Nozomi asked.

"One team based on magic, one team based on speed, and then one team based on strength…"

"And how will that be?" Umi asked.

"For Magic, I'll choose you as the lead―or let's say the tanker…" Eli pointed at the ginger haired girl who has been paying attention.

"Eh? Me?"

"Yes. You… I heard from Umi that you're pretty strong in the front lines…so I think you'll make a good leader. Even though you might not be as defensive as your supporters …." Eli turned her eyes towards Hanayo.

"M-Me?" Hanayo pointed at herself

"Yes, I've never seen you fight, but…for some reason, I feel like you're very defensive but might not be a fast one. I heard from Umi also that your tanking is not that fast, speed wise―…"

"Whoa! There! I'm pretty fast, you know!" Honoka protested.

"No…Honoka…you're not… not compared to Eli…" Umi said.

"There, don't compare me… but anyway, I see that with you and your support, already make a defensive duo, so, I'll add one nuker to balance your team…" Eli turned her sight, this time towards Kotori,

"Me?" Kotori asked.

"Yes, you're a nuker…" Eli said.

"What is… a nuker?" Kotori asked.

"It means that you're someone who can do massive damage. You can do that…right?" Eli said in question, while remembering all those times the ash brunette attacked both Nozomi and herself.  
Unable to say much, Kotori just agreed to the decision "Uh….I…uh…Alright then…"

"Then that's set… Three of you are on magic team…" Eli said.

"Next team then…" Nozomi said.

"I'll go with speed… Umi, you're leading…" Eli said.

"Understood, but does that mean I'll be a tank here?" Umi asked.

"Your team doesn't need a tank― all three of you will just do fast damage and overwhelm the enemy, but I want you to lead, you don't have to be in the front line, but I'm sure you can set up strategy and understand the situation a lot better than the others…" Eli said.

"I see, then go on with who I'll be with…" Umi said.

"Your melee attacker will be…." Eli turned to Rin.

"You…"

"Ok-nya!" Rin said excitedly. Eli nodded and turned back to Umi,

"I could've added Maki in your team, but I sort of need Maki. So Maki told me that she can match her speed―or even better, so I want you to give it a shot with her as your melee attacker…"  
"Understood…" Umi nodded

"Then next…Nozomi, you're in her team…" Eli said.

"Hmmm…. Why do you think I'll fit there…." Nozomi asked.

"Because you're a fast caster and your power should be a great addition to this team…. With that arrangement, all three of you will be able to finish off any kind of enemy quickly…"

"Then, what will you say to your team…? It should be you, Maki, and… that little pirate girl…" Nozomi glanced at the short girl, giving out a hint of jealousy towards Niko.

"T-there! Don't look at me like that!" Niko flustered.

"We'll be in a strength based team. We'll go in average speed but it'll be fine…"

"Hmnn… what do you think that pirate girl can do for you, huh?" Nozomi asked.

"Buffer, Umi told me she can buff others up with magic… and set traps as well… She'll be a good addition to my team…"

Niko seemed to look very pleased with that comment.

"Alright…I'll bite that. So how is the next team arrangement going to be?" Nozomi asked―her face looked anything but amused,

"Next team arrangement, I'm putting the weight on the fighting style, so that would be Magic, Semi-Magic, and Non-magic…"

"Ah―I think I got that one, if I can guess the team that would be…. Hanayo-chan, Kotori-chan and Nozomi-chan… then Me, Rin-chan, and Niko-chan… and last is going to be Eli-chan, Maki-chan, and Umi-chan?" Honoka said.

"Yes… then you're the lead again while Magic is led by Hanayo, then I'll lead my team…" Eli replied.  
"M-me?" Hanayo surprised.

"Yes…you… I think it would be best to have someone neutral lead the team…"

"Ah―yeah. I think so too…" Kotori said.

Nozomi smirked,

"Fine, I guess I can't argue with that…" she said―still less amused.

"Then next, this will be all in one team… which means, magic, semi-magic, and non-magic will be in one team…The leaders will be me, Honoka and… Rin…"

It took a while for Rin to process until a surprised expression covered her face, "E-ehh?! Me-nya?"

"Yes, I think you can be the lead for this coordination. Because it doesn't really require leadership―but requires a neutral point of view…"

"Hmm…so that means you are admitting yourself as someone who can see in a neutral point of view, huh?" Nozomi asked teasingly.

"I don't hate magic―nor hate my technology, so of course…" Eli replied.

"What about me? I can lead too, you know―I'm a born leader…" Niko said proudly.

"Is that so? Then you can do the lead."

"He-he…sure… so who's going to be in my team?" Niko asked.

"Me and Nozomi…" Eli said.

"W-what?! Wait wait…I am to lead you two?"

Eli nodded, "Yes. You said you're a born leader, right? Then I want to see it…"

"Being led by a little pirate…huh?" Nozomi chuckled.

"Why not…it sounds interesting anyway…" she continued.

"Good luck…Niko-chan…" Honoka said―her voice somewhat grieving for the poor raven-head.

"O-Oi! Don't say it like I'm about to die or something…" Niko said―her face pale, as cold sweats drips from her face.

"Uhm…Honoka-chan, can I be in your team?" Kotori asked.

"Eh―sure!" Honoka said.

"Then, the non-magic will be…." she turns to Umi,

"Me?" Umi wondered.

"Yup! We can make a good team, right?" Honoka said with a grin of her face.

"Then we can do that…" Umi replied.

Seeing everyone pick their teams Maki was the only one left, "Then that settles it, I'll go with Rin and Hanayo…"

"Now let's talk about our assignments… Since you changed the team arrangement, Ericchi, I want you to set this one up too…" Nozomi searched through her pockets, taking out a few pieces of paper.

Eli took the papers and scanned through it.

"You were expecting me and yourself to work this much before…" Eli commented,

"Eh? That should be easy, you know. I told you I've traveled this area a lot of times before… by myself… and with you, I'm sure we can do much more in one day… but again, since you changed it…. everything else should be changed as well…plus, now you need to write down a few warnings about monsters around some specific areas since I believe that not everyone has traveled around these places before…" Nozomi said.

"Honestly, none of us have…" Kotori said.

"I know a few areas nya, but…I'm not sure if I ever faced anything scary like monsters-nya… Niko-chan always drags us away to escape…" Rin said.

"H-hey! Don't say that!" Niko yelled.

"Hmm…. all of you are so honest. What about you, soldiers? Ever face anything scary like monsters?" Nozomi asked teasingly.

"You can summarize a thousand words to describe it, just bring it on…." Maki said.

"It's like a daily work for us, so it shouldn't be a problem…" Umi said.

Eli remained quiet.

Nozomi turned her eyes towards her as she let out a soft giggle,

"What about you, handsome? I bet you'll say as long as you don't have to fight them in the dark…" she said teasingly.

"Do I even need to say anything?" Eli frowned as a hint of blush appeared on her cheeks.

"I'm just teasing you …stop being cute…" Nozomi giggled again.

The others started to get flustered,  
"Anyway… I'll have to work on this for a bit, so you all can go play around first until I managed to split the work…" Eli said.

"That's good for us-nya! I have been wanting to play something!" Rin cheered.

"Ohhh! Let's play soccer this time!" Honoka said.

"Soccer?" Umi and Maki wondered.

"You never played it-nya?"

"No…we don't even know what soccer is…" Umi admitted.

"Uhnn…I'm not sure if I can do any good at this...so…can I just be the jury?" Hanayo said.  
"That's fine-nya!"

"Then, let's go find a place to play! Then we will explain!" Honoka said.

"Alright…" Maki and Umi both replied as Rin and Honoka beckoned everyone to follow, and they obliged starting to walk away, except for Eli and Nozomi.

Eli sighed weakly before she headed to the building and took a seat.

She began to search for a pen; the search was short lived when Nozomi approached and handed her one.

"Looking for this?"

Eli kept quiet for a moment before she accepted and started to read up on the papers once more.

"You look like you're pissed off―did I do anything wrong today…?" Nozomi asked.

"No...Not at all… I'm just in my working mode so it would be better if you're not trying to do anything weird…" Eli said, her eyes glued to the paper.

"Hmm…so you're always this serious when working…. Why have I never seen that before…?" Nozomi said teasingly.

Eli didn't respond as she still kept her eyes on the paper instead.

"Say though, do you also wonder about how people play soccer?"

"It's an old sport… played between two teams of eleven players, one ball, two goals opposing each other… but since they are only seven, they should be playing with three members on each team with one jury. Goal keepers are the only ones who are allowed to touch the ball with their arms or hands―but that too, only in penalty area. It was a very popular sport back then …"

"How charming, you must've read a lot about the Earth." Nozomi giggled,

"I even know about the world cup, one that they hold once every four years…"

Nozomi giggled,

"I wonder how you could not have a lover yet… a person like you must be wanted by everyone―or maybe… they do, but you never want them?"

Eli didn't respond again.

"I feel very special…to be able to get this close and be accepted as your lover…"

"It just because I have no choice…."

"Really? But you admitted me as your girlfriend…so in other words, you accept me…"

Eli sighed weakly,

"Whatever suits you…"

"Oh… come on, everyone knows you want me… including myself…" she said suggestively, giving out a mischievous smile.

The blonde once again decided to give her companion the silent treatment…

"I'm taking that as a yes… so anyway―tell me more about yourself…."

"There's nothing more you need to know about me…" Eli replied.

"That's not fair, you know a lot about me…" Nozomi said.

"Listen, Nozomi… if you keep bugging me, I'll certainly break up with you once I fulfill my promise…"

"Hmm…? What promise…?"

"You know which one…" Eli frowned slightly,

Nozomi giggled,

"There, you don't need to be so upset, Ericchi…"

The Amethyst eyed woman brushed her finger against the blue eyed woman's left shoulder,  
"I'm just trying to understand you…because, I'm trying to be a good princess…for my prince…" she said as she brushed her hand―a faint light shines making Eli quickly react towards it.

"Hey!" she quickly made distance,

"What? What do you feel?" Nozomi asked.

"What do I feel? Why not ask yourself?! What was that for?" Eli frowned

"I think I accidentally cast a magic… that's all…"

"It burns, you know…" Eli said as she grabbed her left shoulder and rubs it gently to sooth the pain.

"Oh―well, oops... Sorry…. I hope it doesn't hurt you much…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Eli looked uncomfortable, though she still decided to just head back to her seat and start reading again.

* * *

The Grass Field, Afternoon;

Honoka, Rin, and Niko explained to Maki and Umi about soccer while Kotori and Hanayo stayed on one side of the field stretching next to a soccer ball.

"…then as for goal keeper, they just have to keep the ball away from the goal… and they can do anything to the ball as long as they're in the penalty area…" Niko explained.

Maki and Umi nodded.

"….do you understand now?" Niko tried to confirm,

"I think so… but, I don't want to try to be the goal keeper…" Maki said.

"Heh, alright, then who wants to be the goal keeper?" Niko asked.

"Nope, not me…" Honoka said.

"Me neither-nya!" Rin denied with the ginger.

"Fine then…I'll do it…sheesh, why do I have to be the one with the most responsibility…" Niko said proudly.

"Most responsibility…" Umi somewhat interested,

"Eh, you want to be the goal keeper?" Niko asked.

"Yes. I'll do it…" Umi said in all seriousness.

"Alright…then, I'll be the offense…" Maki said.

"Ahh! Then I'll be the offense too! I want to be against Maki-chan-nya!" Rin said.

"I'll be on defense―with Umi-chan's team!" Honoka said.

"Then, Kotori-chan will be our defense-nya!" Rin said.

"Eh? Me? Alright…" Kotori said as she walked in to the field.

"Oh…starting soon then?" Hanayo said as she drops the ball and―somehow…. She started to kick the ball and do tricks with her feet. Everyone was surprised as they saw how she appeared to be able to handle the ball―then gently the short haired girl kicked it to Rin.

"W-woah…Kayo-chin…You can play-nya!" Rin appreciated, catching the ball.

"E-Ehh? N-no….I…I'm just trying something that I've been seeing on TV…" Hanayo said.

"That's actually cool… yes…" Umi appreciated.

Hanayo at this point was blushing, so-much-so that the redness of her cheeks nearly rivaled Maki's hair,

"N-No…i…it's not!"

"Hmmph! Anyway! We should go ahead and play before it's too late…" Niko said.

"Oh―right, we should…" Honoka agreed.

"Ready when you are!" Kotori chirped cheerfully.

Umi and Niko quickly ran to their goals which they have quickly set up, with a pair of trees next to each other and a few string lines going across them.

Kotori and Honoka prepared themselves as they stood near the goal, Rin and Maki stood by the inner circle, as Rin placed the ball in the center.

"Alright… heads or tails?" The orange haired girl asked as she took out a coin.

"Eh? Uh…head?" Maki replied.

Rin tossed the coin upwards―then catching it as it landed, she took a peek at the results. And it happened to facing heads...

"Ah―It's tails-nya!" Rin said as she averted her eyes away.

"Heh―you just lied…didn't you…" Maki said.

"Uhnn… Ahh! Look! Flying Dutchman!" Rin pointed to the empty sky behind the red haired soldier―quickly dashing away with the ball between her feet when Maki turned her sight away―running off to the opposing side…

"Hey!" Maki quickly ran to catch up with her,

"I'm not going to lose-nya!" Rin said.

"Cheater!" Maki chased up next to the orange-head, within seconds, she snatched the ball swiftly with her feet, then ran to the other side.

"N-Nya!" Rin quickly chased after her.

Kotori quickly prepared herself, in place, but before the girl was able to block ―Maki swiftly lowered herself down and slid her whole body through under the defender, and without a second to lose straightened up with the ball still beneath her feet, quickly running to the goal where Niko was watching her intensely,

Eventually Rin caught up with the red-head and tried to block her again along with Kotori who also ran after the said girl. Maki, who was still full of wit, she pinned the ball between her feet then jumped to the back, instantly launching the ball up to the air with her feet and then spin kicking it to the goal as it came down.

Niko didn't even get a chance to make a move when the ball flew by her like the wind

"Hah, first score…" Maki said proudly.

"W-what the heck?!" Niko protested.

"T-that's very fast nya…" Rin said.

"Hmmm… I wonder how to beat this one up…" Kotori thought.

"I won't lose-nya!" Rin said with a newly found determination.

"Alright, bring it on…" Maki said.

Once again, they were back to their starting positions.

As the jury whistled, Rin quickly ran with the ball again, but this time―she casted magic on herself.

"O-oi! You used magic, didn't you?!" Maki protested.

Rin smiled as she dashed with the ball running on her feet perfectly. Honoka noticed the fast movement, she quickly attempted to tackle it but Rin was able to dodged it―with the ball still under her control. Running close to the goal, she saw Umi standing in front of the goal with both of her hands on one side of her hips, as if she were a samurai gripping onto the sheath and hilt of her sword―though she didn't have one in reality.

"Take this-nya!" Rin kicked the ball, having it fly, piercing through the wind as it neared closer to the goal―without any hesitation, Umi dashed forward, even faster than the ball itself, moving in lightning speed slashed the ball with her hand.

Unbeknownst to everyone the ball sliced apart in half….

The others stared at it with mixed expressions―they weren't sure on whether they should be amazed or disappointed because she sliced the ball in half with her bare hands.

"Oi-Oi! Umi! What the hell are you doing…." Maki said.

"Eh? Wrong? I'm just protecting the goal…" Umi calmly said.

"Don't slice the ball!" Maki yelled feeling slightly flustered.

"Oh…."

"Now we have a bigger problem though, how we will play without the ball…?" Honoka asked looking at the lifeless ball that remained on the ground, deflated.

"Hehe, no problem! I have made something!" Kotori said as she searched her pockets,

Everyone turned their sights to the girl,

Kotori ran to approach the ball and took out a potion, poured it on the ball.

With no time at all the ball suddenly went back into its previous state.

"W-whoa!" Honoka looked astonished,

"That's amazing!" Umi said.

"He-he-he! I call it the revert potion! But it only can be used on an object that has been broken for less than three hours…"

"Only three hours? That's a letdown…" Niko said.

"But it's still a good potion though…" Maki said.

"yeah-nya… can we use it on ourselves too?" Rin asked.

"Ehh…uhhm…well it does function like a healing potion! It can even revert a big cut back to normal―or, missing body part. I just made it yesterday." Kotori said.

"That's really cool… Hey Maki, don't you wish we met her all those years back?" Umi asked somewhat excitedly.

"Huh? I…I think so…" Maki replied slightly nervous.

"Kotori…. You're amazing!" Umi said―excited.

"Ahh…uhh…thanks! Umi-chan!" Kotori replied cheerfully as she blushed slightly.

"Hey, Umi…can you just…not compliment anyone for a while in front of me? I….I'm still bothered about that, ok?" Maki said.

"Oh―sorry…I…I just can't help myself…" Umi said.

"S-stop that…. just…be quiet" Maki said.

Umi didn't make a response.

"Perfect, now let's just get back to the game…" Maki said as she walks away from Umi.

The others seemed to be very confused with the event,

Umi sighed weakly.

"I wonder what's up with her?" Kotori asked.

"It's nothing…." Umi replied sadly.

Then once again, they prepared themselves in their starting positions.

"Alright, you can go on first…" Maki said.

Rin nodded and within seconds, she ran again―with Maki quickly chasing after her and distract her from handling the ball. As they got too focused with each other, Honoka suddenly stole the ball and began to run to the other side,

"W-wahh!" Rin exclaimed in surprised,

"Good job! Score it!" Maki said as she ran to follow Honoka,

"I'm not going to let you-nya!" Rin tried to block Maki from being able to get a pass from Honoka.

As Honoka ran further, Kotori already prepared herself in the defense,

As she tried to get the ball―Kotori suddenly moved in lightning speed, by becoming an actual lightning spark and blocked Honoka, stopping right in front of her, stealing the ball from the surprised Honoka,

"Whw-whoa?!" Honoka turned to see how the ball got taken away so quickly.

"He-he-he!"

"Whoa-wait! Why are you using magic…" Maki said.

"Hmm…Rin-chan can do it so… I can too!" Kotori said.

"Oh-true, then I'll use my magic too!" Honoka said as she ran to catch up. Though from time to time,

Kotori charged on with her magic, then as she got close to the goal….

Umi crossed her arm, looking very serious.

"Uhn….Umi-chan―…."

"No…. not going to let you put it in…" Umi cuts in, with all seriousness in her face.

"Wha! Th-that's scary! Uh…Uhm… Umi-chan!"

"No!"

"Ahh…uh…Umi-chan!" Kotori begged.

"No, absolutely not!" Umi replied immediately.

Kotori started to give her a begging face. Umi closed her eyes,

"Umi-chan…..I…I want to put it in….pleaseeeeee…." Kotori begged very cutely.

Umi twitched her eyebrow and she sighed weakly.

"Fine… go on…" Umi walked to the side of the goal, leaving it open for the girl.

"Yay!" Kotori kicked the ball very slowly and it goes inside the goal.

"OI! OI! OI! OI! UMI!" Maki yelled. Rin still trying to block her,

"Yes?" Umi replied without a single guilt.

"That's not how you do it!"

"Oh…"

"I…I'm too late…." Honoka stood near them with gloom on her face.

"Jury! I mean…Hanayo!" Maki called―they all turned around to Hanayo, who was sitting on the side of the field, eating a rice ball.

"Yes?" Hanayo replied.

"Say something about this case!" Maki said.

"Uh..what? I didn't see anything…?" Hanayo replied.

"Hehe! Kayo-chin is on our side-nya!" Rin said.

"Oi! Sheesh!" Maki frowned,

"Maki….I'm sorry….i failed you…" Umi said―somewhat dramatic.

"I can't believe you did that!" Maki said.

"But she is cute…" Umi whispered.

"Don't fall for that, idiot!" Maki yelled.

"My warrior sense said we shouldn't harm cute people…" Umi said.

"Umi! You know it's not about it! Damn it!"

* * *

The Camp Site, afternoon;

Eli and Nozomi sat on the lounge seat, both looking at the same paper,

"….so do you think this team will do on this task?" Eli asked as she pointed to a line of names,  
"Hmmm… no… I'm afraid it would be better if you add my team instead of their team. That area is pretty dangerous for them, even though the monsters are weak; they still have poison that could turn your body into a dry, plain and fragile biscuit…"

"What…..?"

"Yes, biscuits, because your flesh will start to crumble like them in a very slow duration…and the worst part is that you can't recover from it with regular antidote… it has to be very magical… high grade antidote...and if you're stung in a very vital part, then you'll really have to find the antidote real quick before it kills you."

"Then it's not exactly a biscuit…right?"

Nozomi giggled,

"Of course not, I can call it as fragile ores or something else, that crumbles when you touch, but it's a lot more interesting to call it as biscuits, don't you think?" Nozomi said.

"It's terrible to joke about it… If someone got that and started to lose their body part―…."  
Nozomi chuckled,

"I've seen someone slowly lose his leg, thanks to him for being an example to the other students... now they really understand why I forbid them to go to some areas…"

"Then what about yourself?"

"Myself? Well… I've build enough resistance to poison. You can try to poison me with anything and I'll never get any effect from it…. maybe my resistance is as good as The Alaistair… if you ever heard about them…"

Eli frowned,

"You know about them…"

Nozomi giggled.

"They're like, what? A treasure for pirates? They can be sold a billion worth for each right now…and I think their planet should be empty by now… too many planets want them while they always refuse to cooperate with anyone…"

"Of course they won't if they're treated like a worthless human stock…" Eli said.

"Are they?"

"Yes…"

"How do you know?"

"None of your business..."

Eli crossed her arms.

"Ohh… you mentioned this before… you said, your friend Sonoda Umi came from another planet…and she can eat almost anything without getting sick…. Is she―…."

"No, she is not, sadly. She is from another race…" Eli cuts in.

"There's another race that looks like humans? God must be very creative."

"Exactly, so put that thought aside…"

Nozomi giggled again,

"Relax, I know about them only from the pirates, but I never know where they actually come from or how they get to another planet… never been interested on details, but I used to save a group of them from the pirates, about six years ago…"

"Six years ago…" Eli put a finger on her chin,

"Yep, six, I'm just that good… you should be proud to have a girlfriend like me, one who already made a lot of achievements in her younger years…"

"That's not special…. I've done the same thing six years ago…" Eli said.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"Is that so? Then we're the same…" Nozomi said a little disappointedly.

"Say, Nozomi, are these space pirates named, The Seven Stars of the Black Sea?" Eli asked.

Nozomi cocked her head slightly to the side.

"Yes, you've been dealing with them too, huh?" Nozomi asked.

"Pretty much… we managed to slaughter the big part, but then their captain escaped with their ship, we don't know where their ship is right now, but I believe they've been trying to recover right now…and the last thing I know, they sworn to take revenge on our ship one day…"

Nozomi frowned,

"Do they always send things like that to every single place? What a bunch of dumb heads…"

"No idea… but either way, that's why I really can't stay here or take you… it's too dangerous out there… and you need to protect the Earth too, right?"

"I'm not the only person that can do that on Earth, there are still plenty of magicians and soldiers… why would I put the whole planet as a burden on my shoulder alone… besides, I won't last forever… I can't let the world depend on me forever." Nozomi said.

Eli smiled faintly with a slight sadness in her eyes as she heard it,

"You're right…"

"And I'm right about how you should take me with you too. Perhaps you can teach me about your technology as well so we could unite our forces to crush those stupid pirates…"

"It's just not easy for me to find a way to slip you into our forces… or let you into our ships… like I said, there's so many things there that you need to understand and obey…"

"You're saying it like I'm stupid or something. I can learn, you know…. you just have to teach me…"

"…and you're saying it like you will listen… do I have to remind you about what you did with the lunch that I made for you?" Eli crossed her arm,

Nozomi smirked,

"Fine then… but tell you what, I'm really serious about going with you. Because I really want to…"

"Tell me why you really want to come with me… You can't tell me with being my lover as a reason!" Eli said.

"Because I want to!" Nozomi pouts.

"No! I can't take you with me if that's your only reason!"

"You don't need a reason to take me, beside, why do you even care? It's my decision; let me be responsible for it!"

"It's not about being responsible or not―Look! Nozomi! I told you, you have a future, you're nothing like me… that place, is not for you, and you shouldn't even try to be there!"

Nozomi frowned while puffing her cheeks,

"I said I want to go there with Ericchi!"

"No!"

"I'll never give up until you say yes!"

"Fine, whatever you say, I'll never let you go there with me!" Eli frowns,

"Hmmph! Ericchi so stupid!" Nozomi turned away from the blonde,

"Nozomi is stupid too!" Eli doing just the same.

They glanced at each other from the side

"Idiot!" Nozomi turned back at her,

"I don't care… you can say whatever you want about me but I will still never get you in my ship…" Eli said.

"I want to be in your ship until you graduate! Is that too much to ask?"

"A thousand lives could be over in just one minute, so of course one year is too much!"

"I've been surviving on my own for twenty one years, why would I be afraid of losing it in one year?"

"Because―It's different! Your magic won't save you there!"

"Says who? I could beat you up with my glove―and you've survived there for twenty one years too, right? So to put it simply, I will do just as good as you!"

"And you don't have your glove right now!"

"I'm remaking it! So just you watch!"

"Hah! Good luck with that!"

"Once it's finished, let's fight again and if I win, you'll have to take me…"

"…and if I win, you'll stay here and we break up…" Eli said coldly.

Nozomi remain quiet for a moment,

"I'm not going to say deal on that…" Nozomi said.

"Huh? Winner gets to choose what they want!"

"I don't want to break up!"

"What? Look! Do you think we will be any better? We're fighting over something small and we never agree with each other, do you think we will fit with each other in life?"

"Because I like it when you are being stubborn!" Nozomi shouted,

Eli blushed slightly,

"That doesn't make sense…!"

"It does! Because you're the only one who is willing to fight me face to face! I want that kind of person in my life, you see?"

"Then we don't have to be lovers!"

"We have to! Can't you see that I'm interested on you as well?!"

"I can't! With all the trouble you caused me! It's more like I'm the one that's interested on you!"

"I caused you trouble because I want you to look and understand me!"

"And I keep scolding and fixing your troubles because I want you to see that you're important! I mean, look! There's a lot more people out there who are better than me!"

"Still! I don't want you to break up with me! Even if you win, I want you to just leave without me…"

"What if I never return here? I'll be leaving you hanging, you understand?"

"That's why I want to come! I want to make sure you will return here!"

"No! It's a dangerous place! It's better if I never return and you stay here to protect what you already have than going to a place where your life can be taken at any time!"

"I don't have anything to keep!"

"Your friends!"

"They can keep their own life! I have nothing to do with it!"

"Your world! Your planet! Your belongings!"

"They're nothing compared to someone who truly cares so much about me! I'm willing to abandon them… just to have someone like you in my life!"

Eli sighed heavily,

"Look, Nozomi…I think we argued about this for too long and too early, it hasn't even been a month yet… and again, you don't even know me… you're deciding too fast… think about it again…ok?"

"Being difficult won't make me change my mind… you should be the one to think about it…"

"You're really stubborn aren't you?!"

"You're the stubborn one! I'll just do fine there, take me!"

"For the last time, Nozomi, No! The more you insist, the harder I will deny… You don't have a good reason why I should allow you to be there―besides, it's not a playground! Absolutely not!"

"Who said it's a playground? I never said I'll go to play around! I'll be a good help, I swear!"

Eli rolled her eyes,

"I don't need your help―not if it can cost you something… but anyway, we're done with this topic. I'm not going to discuss it with you anymore since you won't listen…" Eli walked away from her, looking at her paper once more.

"Ericchi! I may not have anything as a reason now, but you will see later!"

Eli remained quiet,

"I'll show you a reason and you will change your mind!"

"Whatever…" the blonde sighed as she lifted her eyebrow with eyes half open.

It wasn't long until they suddenly heard the others coming by,

"Ooiii! Nozomi-chaaan! Eli-chaaaaann!" Shouted a girl, energetically.

"Why is she calling me like I'm her pal or something…" Nozomi frowned,

"Why do you even care about what others call you anyway…" Eli said.

Then the others came running in,

"Hehe― so how is it?" Honoka asked as she arrived near them.

"We're done with arranging the teams, now we just need to do it tomorrow…"

"Ah, tomorrow? Then, what should we do today?" Honoka asked.

"We will have a few briefing about this…."

"Ooo! This really feels like being a soldier nya!" Rin said.

"Eh―have you all never done a briefing before going to on mission?" Maki asked.

"Nope, we just go-nya!" Rin said.

"That's the most dangerous thing to be done…" Umi said.

"Eehhh? But, it won't be fun if we already know what to do, right Niko-chan?" Rin said.

"Huh? Well…uh…yes…." Niko replied nervously.

"Don't do that anymore, ok? It could be fatal…" Maki warned.

"We're pirates! We just move on with whatever we got!" Niko tried to reason.

"Yeah―and giving up life is what you do too…" Maki said sarcastically.

"S-sheesh! We always have plans on the spot…"

"Put that aside, I think I know a few things about these places and I understand why we need a briefing…so please do it…" Kotori said.

"Yes, and I hope you're all listening since this could be something vital… we don't want anything bad to happen…" Eli said.

Nozomi suddenly giggled,

Eli turned at her…

"Anything funny?" Eli asked raising her eyebrows at the purple-head.

"No, it's nothing… let's just move on with the briefing…"

"I hope it's not related to what we were talking about before…"

"No…of course not. That's yours and mine only…"

"Good…"

Eli frowned as she glanced at Nozomi sharply while she only replied with a mischievous smile.

* * *

**K, really. I hope you're not bored yet . I'm really sorry because it took me days to update lately! So busy here.**

**and btw, I'll have to go on the road again at next week's wednesday until saturday, so yes... I'll not write by then to do my job. but I will continue right away after! I promise! **


	14. Distance Between You

**Ok, update here!**

**Thanks for understanding and waiting me!**

**Thanks to Crimson!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/ and follows!**

* * *

The White Lily, morning;

"Ahh…this place is so beautiful-nya!" Rin said cheerfully as she excitedly jumps and spins around in the flowerbed.

"Hmm? Do you like it?' Nozomi asked

Rin thought about it for a moment, and cheerfully replied, "Hmm..do I like it? Not quite, but I think its pretty-nya!"

"Seriously though, the briefing said that this place is really dangerous….how could a place like this be dangerous exactly?" Umi scanned the area, finding everything to be peaceful.

"Don't underestimate the beauty; they can kill you slowly—or silently…." Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Both Umi and Rin looked at each other, and then turned their head back to look at Nozomi,

"So what's the deal with these monsters…The ones that were mentioned during the briefing? I haven't seen any so far…" Umi questioned curiously.

"You want to see them? How adventurous…" Nozomi replied teasingly.

"To begin with, why do we have to search for these materials… anything special?"

"Not really…"

"Really? I thought there would be something special about it…but either way, I believe you will look for the best ones. Can you tell me further about the best quality of the materials?"

"The quality of the materials, huh? To tell you the truth, that would depend on what we want to make it into…"

"Hmm… " Umi thought for a moment, "Then…what do you want to make it into?"

Nozomi giggled,

"There, aren't you asking for too much details? Let's just move on and not talk about it… You don't really need to do anything. So just be nice and stay on guard… I'll be the one that does all the work…"

Umi crossed her arms, "That can't be allowed, we can't let you work alone… we're supposed to work as a team… isn't that the whole purpose of this vacation?"

"Hmm…. you're all staying here for a month, would be better if you guys just have some fun and enjoy the rest of the stay… this work is meant for me, so let me do it…" Nozomi replied.

"Very well then…" Umi replied—somewhat a little disappointed.

Diamond Princess Mine, afternoon;

Maki, Eli, and Niko traveled through the mine,

"Why are we traveling here now… I don't see the point of collecting materials… we're not alchemists." a certain twin-tailed girl complained.

"We're not, but it's a material, right? I'm sure it could be used for something…" Eli said.

"Hey, I think I know what these materials are here for…." Maki said.

"Really?" Niko asked.

"Yeah… these are materials to make the materials for Nozomi's glove…" Maki said.

"How do you know?" Eli asked.

"Actually, I have the blueprint for her glove… I really wanted to tell you about it, but I never had the chance to talk to you, without her around… I already talked to Umi and she is currently looking for a way to learn all the details for it."

"Whoa? Serious? Her glove? The one that duplicates magic power?" Niko asked unable to believe that the red head would have the blueprints for the said glove.

"Yeah… but I think it's incomplete… There's a lot of missing details…" Maki said as she searches through her pocket.

Maki searched through her pockets, "Yeah… but I think it's incomplete… There are a lot of missing details…"

After a moment, she took out a piece of paper and handed it to the blonde, who instantly opened the fold and began to examine through it.

"Hmm…. interesting, so it's just the same infinite loop of power being channeled to this specific emerald…"

"Eh? How can you understand that…?" Maki wondered.

"Like I said to you before, I explored Nozomi's house enough to learn a lot of things from there …" A small sigh escaped from Eli's lips.

Nico softly huffed, putting her hands on her hips, "Sheesh, you always have some kind of trick up your sleeves…"

"Heh―Somehow...But I'm glad you're the one who ended up getting stuck in that house… If it was me, I don't know what would've happened or what I would've done…" Maki said, already dreading over the thought of being stuck with a certain purple-haired girl.

Eli softly chuckled at her junior's remark, "Looking at you, I think you would've done fine... And probably have already escaped…unlike me...I was too caught up examining all the interesting machinery she has in that place…"

"Huh? What's the difference with the machinery we have?"

"A lot, the system, the way it works, and everything, but what interests me most is the way it's supplied, did you know, all electricity and other power supplies in the village are fueled with water?"

"Water?!" Maki widen her eyes,

"Huh? What's so special? All power around this world are fueled with water…" Nico simply stated, as though it was something of basic knowledge.

The blonde nodded and continued explaining to Maki, "Thing is, water is the easiest liquid to get and recycle in this planet… I'm not talking about clean water, but the water itself… if you can use water to supply power for daily activities, then it's like you have unlimited power supply…and with the system of the power supply you have, you can have the same potential as nuclear potential…. No, even better… but maybe in a more complex system…"

"Wow… that's amazing… I wonder if we can copy the system and use it in our ship…" The red-head wondered, feeling very satisfied with the new information.

"That was what I planned too….if we can copy this system, gather some needed materials and at least learn how things work, then our ships would be able to travel through more galaxies… and we wouldn't have to refill our fuel once a year… maybe it could be increased up to once every ten years instead..."

"Hey, Eli, you sound so smart… I wonder if you can help us rebuild our ship as well…" Niko tried asking,

"Help you? I'm not sure. I think Nozomi would disagree with the decision…" Eli replied.

"I knew you'd say that… but ah, you see… we're not bad pirates… we're just…uh… a little infamous…"

"I never heard about your life as a pirate… tell me more…"

"Uhm…well…." Niko twiddled her fingers.

"Just go on tell everything, Eli will understand…" Maki assured the twin-tailed girl with a small smile.

"Alright…" Niko started, "well…you see, Eli, I believe you know about the crisis around the galaxy…right?"

"You mean the massive loss of inhabitants and the increased number of criminals?" Eli asked, getting a nod as a reply from the pirate,

"Of course I do. What about it though?"

"You see, we're actually trying to investigate it… but we couldn't get our hands on any details… so we decided to be a pirate to be able to blend in with them and find out about what they're actually up to…but…as you can see―….." Niko bit her lip,

"They are more like a comedy trio than a group of pirates…" Maki cuts in.

"W-whoa?! What the heck?! Can't you be a little nicer?!" Niko yelled,

Maki raised her eyebrow, twirling the tip of her hair as she pretended like she never said anything.

"What will you do after you know about what they're up to?" Eli asked.

"Uhm…report it to the space police…We're…sort of their…uh… friends…."

"So you're working for the police, huh?"

"Yep, pretty much… but we're unable to gain any information from the group… they said, we're too suspicious to be trusted… we need some sort of… uh… thing…. To make them believe us…"

"Like Achievements?" Eli asked.

"Yeah… something like that…" Niko scratched her head shyly,

"Rin told me, that so far, none of you were able to do anything right, stealing is the best thing you can do…and running away is where you're expert at… is that true?" Maki said.

Niko sighed,

"That girl couldn't keep her mouth shut… but yes, we're only good at stealing and the only place we can actually do some kind of raiding is in that village―a fake one, that too if Nozomi goes to school…if not, then we would be doomed…"

"And you were working together with Kotori and Hanayo to pretend that you actually raided the area… so you could be infamous..." Maki said.

"Yes…." Niko replied a little sadly,

"Question though, what do you do with the stolen items?" Eli asked.

"We sell part of it to the city in higher price, usually the one with best quality, then some others to another planet―we sold them in a very low price as a form of our uh... generosity…then the money will be for our ships monthly maintenance and some for our living, then some for buying materials that will be given to Kotori for her alchemy…"

"I see…"

They all walked in silence for a moment until Niko decided to break it after realizing that the blonde had nothing more to say,

"Eh…that's it? You're not going to lecture me?"

"What? Why would I lecture you? I think you're doing fine…"

"Ehh? But…that other girl… Umi…she lectured me…"

"Ah―Umi… what did she say?"

"She said that we shouldn't be a pirate… said it's not something that we should do…"

Eli nodded,

"I understand her thinking… good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people find a way around the laws. So if you think what you're doing is something right, then continue on towards that path… you don't need to find another way…"

Niko's eyes started to sparkle at the blonde, feeling very touched by what she said.

"Eli….you…."

"Don't get all teary by that, sheesh… you know she is just speaking her thoughts and not the truth." Maki smirked at the little woman.

"What do you think is the truth huh?!" Niko crossed her arms.

"the truth? Of course I'll be agreeing with what Umi said, you're a pirate, so its only natural for people to instantly say you're evil…if you really want to do good, you would have to do it their way―or let's say, according to the law…"

"I hate to say it but that is how the society is…." Eli agreed.

"Yes, no one will bother to look at what's inside you… no matter how good you are… they will always judge from the surface…" Maki added.

Niko smirked,

"Well…yeah…."

"Anyway, we should move onto finding this material… and maybe some extra for us." Eli said as she walked further into the mine, with the other two following behind.

Maki nodded, "True… let's go…"

"Alrighty…" Niko said as she follows the two soldiers.

* * *

The Camp Site, Afternoon;

Kotori stood, watching the tranquil scenery around her while Hanayo and Honoka seemed to be busy with making some food to eat.

"Hmm..I wonder how they're doing…." Kotori wondered while staring off into the distance, as far as her eyes could see.

"Well, I believe they should be fine…" Honoka assured the alchemist as she kept on cooking,

Hanayo smiled, "Knowing that Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan are with them… they should be fine…"

The ash-brunette took a moment to respond, "I can think positive about Eli-chan's team. But…what about Nozomi-chan's? Sometimes I get this feeling that Nozomi-chan might try to kill them…" she said hesitantly, as the thought kept tugging at the back of her head.

"Uh… that can't be…" Honoka tried to assure.

"Let's be positive about this Kotori-chan. Nozomi-chan will not do something like that…" Hanayo chirped in

"Uhh…I can't… the image of her just can't be good in my mind…"

"Then, let's try to think of something positive about her…" Honoka said.

"Hmmm….think positive…." Kotori tried to brainstorm.

"Like…hmm… the time when she protected us?" Hanayo suggested.

"She put their heads on a stake and threw them away. Then exploded their ships―We had to bury each one of them manually because Nozomi-chan refused to do it…" Kotori said.

"Uh..alright, let's think of…hmm…" Hanayo put a finger to her chin as she tried to think, "how about when she helped you with your invention?" Hanayo asked.

"Then later she made her own invention that matched up with mine—and experimented on the pirates or bandits that she caught the days later… I still remember how she melted them with her cannon…"

"Uhmm…okay…then maybe…the time when she's teaching her students? You said she is somewhat motherly there, right?"

"Yes…and she would also let her children be wounded and crawl to her for help until they cried…"

"Eh…uh… that's kind of harsh…then…uh….maybe, the time when she falls asleep?"

"I never saw her actually asleep…even though she's very lazy…"

"Ah…uh…then…maybe…when she is uh…eating?"

"Hmm… she is adorable when she eats, yes…." Kotori admitted.

"Yes! Then, let's just remember that!" Hanayo said.

"But….just a while back, she lied to me about Eli being allergic to meat….in fact, it was her who was supposed to not eat it because of her high cholesterol…"

"Oh…."

"I can't believe she lied to me..." Kotori said sadly.

"Uhh…then….maybe not that….hmm…I wonder when she is actually being …kind…."

"I wonder about that too…"

Honoka remained quiet, looking as though she was trying to remember something,

"Honoka-chan? What's wrong?..." Kotori asked as she noticed the sapphire eyed girl, who usually appeared to be an airhead, being all so deep in her thoughts.

"Uhm…I'm just trying to remember something, but I couldn't quite grasp the image of that memory…." Honoka said.

"What memory?" Kotori asked.

"Uhm…. well…. it's…. uh….something…. about Nozomi-chan being kind…."

"Eh? You have?" Kotori looked surprised,

"I feel like I've met her before…and I feel like she knew me before all these events even occurred…." Honoka rubbed her own chin at the thought.

"Uh…. really?"

"Yeah…. But I really can't remember... but it may not be that important…"

"O…Okay…."

"But either way though, I still believe Nozomi-chan to have a kind side to her. She isn't all bad…" Honoka continued.

"I want to believe that too, Honoka-chan…but…" Kotori hesitated.

"Hehe, then just believe it…. you don't have to find a reason to do so…" Honoka smiled at the ash-brunette.

"It's just that… I've been friends with her for a while now, so it feels weird to just let her do what she wishes...I don't want her to turn out worse than she already is…"

"Hmm..." Honoka hummed in thought, understanding where Kotori was coming from, "but, I think she must have a reason for that, right? Like… trying to make sure everyone is protected?"

"Eh…well, yes… but…I just think that, her way to protect us is a little too extreme and we don't like it… we always try to tell her but she never listens… she always prefers to do things her own way…"

"Uhm…but isn't it more cruel for us to not let her express herself…?" Honoka asked.

"Well…true…but her way to express herself is not acceptable…"

"Then... how is it not acceptable? Why does it even matter?"

"How is it not acceptable and why does it even matter, huh?" Kotori repeated the question and tried to think of an answer.

Before Kotori could come up with an answer, the Honoka started to speak, "I mean like, we communicate to deliver our message to the others, right? So I think, it shouldn't matter how a person express themselves… as long as the message is delivered….its still fine..."

"No…I don't think that's right…" Kotori replied.

"Hmm… I think I can try explaining it to you, Honoka-chan…" Hanayo finally spoke up

"How? How?" Honoka playfully asked.

"You know, it's like… when you're doing something and suddenly someone comes up to you and hits you— and you'll wonder why they hit you without any reason at all… then perhaps as a response you would want to hit and hurt them back the same way, which will result in both of you hitting each other and causing disturbance to each other's lives—or at least, to your peace…. Those are somewhat an example of something that is not acceptable… which means, it's only acceptable when you don't disturb others…" Hanayo explained.

"Hmmm…is that so? Then… what about, kissing? I mean, I heard from Umi-chan that Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan aren't allowed to kiss each other, I wonder why that is unacceptable while, I don't think it hurts Kotori-chan…" Honoka replied.

"Ah, that's….called as an act of caring…" Kotori said.

"An act of caring?"

"Yeah…like, by the time you become good friends with someone, it's also going to be the time when you would try to give what's best for them. It's true that it doesn't bother my life, but what I want is for Nozomi-chan to think the best for herself…. Because….hmmm…."

Kotori fell silent for a moment,

"You know, now that you brought this up, I remembered something good about Nozomi-chan but yet it's still not quite a good…" Kotori continued.

"It's about how she is very selfless… she never thinks about herself more than the others—even though she appears to be selfish, at some points, but she actually isn't thinking about herself. What she wants is to give what's best for others—she doesn't care what people say…or perhaps, more like, she is fine with being called bad names, as long as her friends are fine….We've been living under her protection and you know….she is the only infamous one between us…"

"Why would yours or Hanayo-chan's name be bad?" Honoka asked.

"I…I don't know…to be honest, but I just think that because of her, the things we do wrong are covered up, if anything, people will start blaming her instead of us..."

"Is that really the case though? I mean… is it really because she wants people to think that way?"

"Hmm…. to be quite frank, we have been causing trouble here and there… and…she…uh…sort of made the whole situation worse, taking in all the blame for herself… we can't explain it…but…uh….anyway…Honoka-chan…." Kotori began to get a little nervous. She glanced at Hanayo who showed a hint of nervousness as well.

"Hmm?" Honoka tilts her head,

"D-Do you want to bake some bread? I think we have yeast and flours in the container…" Kotori suggested, completely changing the subject.

Honoka's eyes began to sparkle in excitement, "W-wah! B-Bread! Yes! Let's make bread!"

"I think I also brought some strawberries…" Hanayo said.

"W-whoah! You two are spoiling me!"

"Hehe…anyway, we should get going or we might not be able to finish it before the others return…" Kotori said.

"Ah, yeah, let's do it then!"

* * *

The White Lily, Afternoon;

Nozomi, Rin and Umi walked through the fluffy flowery field,

"Nozomi, we've come this far but I have yet to see any dangerous monsters…I'm kind of curious, does this place really have that kind of monster you were talking about?" Umi asked, walking up next to the older girl.

Nozomi giggled,

"So you're really curious huh?"

"Well, there is this planet which is inhabited by creatures that would turn other creatures into slaves—in our term, they will appear to look like zombies since their flesh will start to rot slowly from the bite. We have to either amputate the bitten part or kill the ones who got bitten before they suffered from being controlled until they eventually die from the said cause…" Umi explained.

"So, when you told me about that monster, it kind of reminded me of it…"

"Then, my next question will be, is that why your handsome friend lost her arm?" Nozomi smiled mischievously at the blue haired girl next to her.

"W-wha? How did you…?" Umi flustered,

Nozomi giggled,

"I know a lot about her, but not enough… so you better tell me everything…. or I will start assuming everything on my own…"

Umi smirked bitterly, and then she glanced at Rin who has been quiet and wondering about what's actually happening in the conversation,

"Look, Nozomi… her life is none of your business—I do not wish to betray my—…"

"It's my business…" Nozomi cuts in.

"No…sorry, it's not. Even though you're her lover— or let's just say, her lover by contract, you're still a stranger to us. So whatever reason, I will not say anything about that…"

"Stubborn aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just being loyal to my promise and telling you the truth….If you want me to be bluntly honest… I think you're just a mere woman who takes pleasure from being close to a reliable person like Eli; you are not worthy to be her lover…not at all…" Umi frowned.

Rin seemed to be quite surprised to hear Umi speak that way to the latter.

"What's that? Are you saying I can't stand on my own two feet?" Nozomi frowned back at her,

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying that you prefer to be a burden for others than to work on your own… In my opinion, if you and Eli were ever to be paired up together, you'll be useless, as she will take your entire burden…"

"That's how it supposed to be, right? Even though we both are girls, I get the feeling that I'll be playing the female role while she acts the male…"

"You know it's like saying that women are just a burden for men… but the truth is, a woman is not as simple as that… You can't even appreciate your role as a woman, how can you appreciate the meaning of love and being a lover…"

"My… are you an expert on love?" Nozomi said mockingly.

"No I'm not, but do I have to be an expert to understand basic knowledge? Are the humans on Earth never taught about this? Such a shame…"

Nozomi, unable to deal with Umi's smart remarks, wanted to show a bit of her violent side with the said girl, "Do you want to know about what I know then?"

"Harming others is what you're good at. You reply truthful words with a fist while we only use our power when it's necessary. You're a primitive…a creature with no heart. Even the wildest animals still know how to love better than you…"

Nozomi began to think for a moment…

"Listen, Nozomi, I never wanted to get those words out from my mouth, but by trying to pry what you shouldn't is like violating a condition. We know where our ships are, and we know how to return… We can always take the chance to leave at any time…but we don't because we want to fulfill our promise— and so far, we always have been in peace with each other… I hope you're not planning to crush it…"

"Big words coming from the one who has been sneaking into my workshop… Don't think I don't know… You're just lucky that I easily let things go…." Nozomi crossed her arms. At one point they have stopped walking and decided to have this talk, Rin being completely left out to just listen instead.

"It's for the sake of the entire universe…" Umi said.

"That means…what? You want to destroy a villain like me for the sake of the entire universe?"

"We do not plan to use what we search, to harm you"

"You don't plan to use it on me… but you are planning to test it on me…"

Rin looked from one person to the other as they blatantly argued.

"If it's for a test purpose, then we can always ask of it peacefully, not from you, but from your friend who is a lot more friendlier and a lot more mature than you…. you're just a nuisance at any case…"

"I'm a nuisance? Don't you know that village existed because of me?"

"Yes, and it's existed because you need to be pampered by everyone… and not because you're actually holding it like an actual mother figure… you're the baby in the society, a big one… when you fall, no one will help you, no one will take your hand and no one will protect you… and when you die, no one will miss you, or remember you… you'll be nothing but a bad and forgettable history."

"I'm the one who protects, hear that? I'm protecting all of my people from invasion of outsiders like you…"

"Yes, you can do that while we protect the entire universe from eating each other… you're acting like your burden is the heaviest while you're not even holding as big as a quarter of ours…"

Nozomi thought of an idea and began to smile mischievously,

"Then, let me prove that I can hold your burden… take me with you to the space…"

"No, just from looking at your attitude and what Eli has to do for you every single day, you won't be any use… you're worthless... just some weight and a waste of oxygen… I don't want you to be there…" Umi replied coldly.

Nozomi gave out a look of disappointment,

"hmm….is that so? Then… I'll just find another way to convince you that I can be better than what you think…" Nozomi turned around and began to walk once more, going further into The White Lily.

Umi remained quiet as Rin finally decided to approach her,

"Umi-chan… what's actually happening between you two?" Rin asked innocently.

"Ah..uh..it's nothing…sorry…." Umi replied.

"Is it really? I don't like the atmosphere nya…"

"Yeah, it's…really nothing…" Umi said.

* * *

In the Diamond Princess Mine, afternoon;

It was getting darker and darker as the trio walked further into the mine with their torch lighting the way.

"Ey—Eli, I think we're going in too deep! We already finished our task and got what we need…" Niko said.

"Yeah, but I don't mind exploring a bit… we might find the better materials…" Maki said.

"That's exactly what I want…" Eli said.

Niko raised her eyebrow. "Do you even know your materials?… Like which is the good one?"

"No, but I might know…"

"You're just using your own assumptions!" Niko said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"It's not a bad thing to try on your own…"

"Huh? What? You know, magic is not that simple. I know you have always been living without them, it's fine to not relying on it, but it's still not wise to underestimate it…"

"Eh, well, magic… to begin with, we have our technology to compete with it…" Maki said.

"I'm not underestimating magic either; I know what I'm dealing with…" Eli kept on walking.

"Well, thing is, Eli, if anything happens to you because of your adventurous trait, you might make others sad…your family especially…." Niko said.

Eli paused for a moment while Maki looked troubled knowing things like these were much too sensitive for the blonde,

Maki hastily comes up with a reply to sooth the uncomfortable topic, "Well, nothing is going to happen to her, we have always been used to facing death in front of our face…"

"Huh? Really? But still, you should treasure your life a little more, don't do anything too dangerous for your family's sake… and friends…"

Maki averted her eyes,

"N-Niko…. Not every family worries about each other, you know…" Maki said.

"Huh? What kind of bullshit is that? Every family loves each other and they worry! They have an unbreakable bond… it's just about the amount and how they express their love that might be different…"

"Then it's still possible for one family to have a negative amount of love…right?" Eli at the point stopped walking and took a sideways glance at the girl next to Maki.

Niko began to explain, "A family is not simply connected by bloodlines, who you call as families are the ones who can make you feel at home... not like the ones who are connected by bloodlines are not, but anyway… I don't know what kind of drama you have going on with your family— but by looking from the way you react, I feel like you're thinking that they rejected you… but hey, look again, did they really? Perhaps it's not that they reject you, perhaps it's because they understand that you have a duty to do…"

Eli smiled faintly,

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, like, they may never look for me, but I know they're actually very worried about me…and the reason why they never look for me is because they know I have a responsibility …not because they hate me…"

Eli now completely faced towards the two, nodded slightly,

"So you basically believe that they don't hate you…?"

"Of course, it's better to think positive… but anyway, Eli, for whatever reason, it should be started from yourself, love them for whatever kind of return they give… if its true love, then you'll be happy, if not then it's not true love… but I'm not talking about the struggling process… that's a whole different thing…" Niko continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Struggling to express love to someone might be painful at times, but sometimes it's worth it, sometime it's not…either way, if you're happy because you make someone else happy, then you already have done an act of loving someone… it doesn't have to be replied with an act too, right? Since you're already happy…"

Eli's smile evolved into an ear splitting grin,

"Yes, I believe that too…"

Maki stared at her smile in a slight awe.

"So yeah, have you met up with your family again?"

"No….I was planning to but…I wasn't sure… but someone made me sure that I shouldn't try just yet, thanks to her, I think I can come up with a better plan too…" Eli replied.

"Good, I wish you good luck… but don't forget to reply my words of advice with building us a new ship, ok?"

Eli sighed as she chuckled softly.

"Sure…I'll help out…but make sure you have the materials, ok?"

"I've collected some with that scary Sonoda Umi before and if it's not enough, then just tell me what I need then I'll go collect it again, right… Maki-chan?" Niko said.

"Huh? Why are you calling me Maki-chan all so sudden…." Maki protested.

"No? But I thought that's pretty cute…"

"You're acting like I'm your friend…"

"Are we not?"

"No…"

"There! You're being mean! I really thought you are my friend!"

"Eh—don't want…"

"That shouldn't be what you say! You should feel bad for rejecting my love!"

"What love? Don't get it, don't care, don't want…" Maki twirled the tips of her silky red hair.

"K-Kghh! Maki-chan so cruel!" Niko yelled.

"Heh, like I need you to tell me that I'm kind…"

"Hmmph! Fine, then I won't cook you any more pasta…" Niko crossed her arm as she turns her sight away from Maki,

"Eli can make it for me… besides, I don't mind with any food for now, after all, we're the visitor, right? We accept anything that is given to us…"

"Then, I won't give you any food!"

"Like I said, I can always ask someone else, you know…"

"Don't you feel bad for not being able to get Niko's love food…" Niko said teasingly.

"The hell is love food… they're all just regular food…"

"They're not!"

"They are not. Yes… they're not special…"

"Not regular food!"

"Not special!"

And the two began to argue. Eli shook her head and decided to turn back around and continue walking further into the mine, completely ignoring and leaving the arguing duo

"W-whoa! Eli! Wait up!" the two said as they quickly ran after the blonde who had left them.

* * *

Back to the camp, dusk;

Honoka, Hanayo, and Kotori were busy with preparing the meal.

"Uwaaah… so many foods to prepare!" Honoka exclaimed out loud, as she worked on cooking food one after the other.

Hanayo and Kotori giggled,

"Yup, there are nine of us so we should prepare a lot…" Hanayo said.

"Hehe, but at least we got all the bread baked on time…" Kotori said.

"Don't worry, Kotori-chan, if the bread isn't enough, then they can eat my rice…" Hanayo said.

"Rice? Did you cook them?"

"Yup, I just did it a while back in the rice cooker over there…" Hanayo pointed to the tent, where a rice cooker sat on the table, still with the cooking lamp on.

"Ah! Good! Then, I think I can cook some soup!"

"That would be nice! Healthy food is always nice with rice!" Hanayo said.

"…and bread!" Honoka added.

"Ahhh…I want cheesecake too now!" Kotori chirped, noticing how the other two made their favorite food.

"Sounds good!"

"I wonder if we can go for a hunt later too? I think it's nice to find our own ingredients!" Kotori wondered.

Honoka raised her hands in the air with the idea, "Oh! Sounds good! Let's go with Umi-chan!"

"Then, I'll go out too to find some seeds…" Hanayo said.

"In that case, Kayo-chan will go out with Maki-chan and Rin-chan?" Kotori looked at the timid girl in the group.

"That would be nice! Rin-chan knows a lot about places and Maki-chan should be able to get what we can't easily get. She is very skillful!" Hanayo said cheerfully.

"That also means that Nozomi-chan, Eli-chan and Niko-chan stay guard in the camp? I wonder if Niko-chan will be alright…"

"I believe she will be fine, Niko-chan is a lot more capable than what you think…" Honoka smiled.

"Hmm…thing is, sometimes I'm scared if Nozomi-chan will use her curse magic on her…" Kotori said.

"Curse magic?" Honoka tilted her head to one side.

"Yeah… it's a manifestation of spiritual element. This means that Nozomi-chan can use it at any time…"

"Spiritual element? What is that?" Honoka asked.

"It's a special element that exists in every kind of soul. Magic that's manifested from it, is usually only be taught to priest and healers, but Nozomi-chan is able to extract it without a problem. She even created a new spell on her own too… " Hanayo explained.

"Actually, spiritual element is also used by necromancers and I think she learned how to turn it into a curse from them too…"

"Necromancers? I didn't know they use that too…" Hanayo said.

"She mentioned about the Marionette spell, so I thought to give it a little search… then I figured out that it's one of the Necromancer's magic, history said, it was created by the ancient Necromancers to prevent their lover from doing what they don't want them to do since...there's a lot of darkness that might stress them out… and a lot Necromancers are secretive about their path as one…"

"Ah! I've heard about the Marionette spell… but, doesn't that spell need a lot of time to apply?" Hanayo asked,

"The ancient necromancers usually charmed their lover to make love with them and they applied it as they were doing it… then some use petty tricks such as applying the lesser curse and using 'removing the curse' as an excuse to make their victim trust them for removing it while in fact they applied the Marionette spell on them…" Kotori explained.

"What is this lesser curse?" Honoka asked.

"Uh… there are plenty, but one of the fastest is the curse where it makes a person unable to stay too far away from the caster, which means that if the victim goes too far from the caster, they will be weakened and the more distance there is the more worse it will get.…"

"T-that's sounds dangerous…" Honoka shivered from the thought.

"Since it's usually applied on their lovers, they usually send someone to accompany them and bring them back—because the concept is basically trying to make the victim feel like they need them… or at least, that's what the book said.." Kotori continued.

"That's bad…but I suppose that is why necromancers are infamous… they tend to force their will on others… without any other options… but anyway, I just hope Nozomi-chan won't do that far…" Hanayo said as she smiled sadly.

* * *

The White Lily, dusk;

Rin, Nozomi, and Umi awkwardly continued their journey as they collected the materials they need until…

"Uhmm...Nozomi-chan… I think we've got enough-nya…" Rin decided to finally break the unbearable silence.

"Nope, we can still need to go further in… there will be a lot of better quality materials in the central area…"

"I hope you know this place really well, I have no single clue in my head so I will just stay guard for myself…" Umi said politely.

"That's why you should just agree with me or don't say anything else... a clueless leader like you won't do any help in this journey…" Nozomi replied with a mockery on her smile which replied with a slight frown on the warrior's face.

"First, I'm not a leader, second, I don't mind exploring, I was just saying that you better really know your way around since you're insisting to continue…"

"Rin-chan doesn't mind that, right?" Nozomi asked, looking at the orange haired girl, who looked like she was getting sick of all the pointless arguments.

"Eh—Uh! You two, please stop fighting-nya…" Rin said.

"I'm not even trying; she is the one who started to get furious with me… I'm all calm, you see?" Nozomi said.

"To begin with, she is the one who decide to humiliate us… if only she knew how to respect…"

"What respect, I hold everyone in the same regards… even a pirate like you, Rin-chan" Nozomi replied with a teasing smile,

"Ehhh….uh, well….." Rin began to get all flustered.

Nozomi gave Umi another glance full of mockery while Umi kept on staring at the purple-head with her anger tension increasing every time their eyes met,

"Alright, that's it. I'm going back to the camp…" Umi said.

"Go on then, I don't need you…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Umi frowned deeper before she turned around and walked away.

"W-wha! Umi-chan! Don't go alone! You can get lost-nya!" Rin said as she quickly tried to catch up with the said archer.

Nozomi giggled before she decided to walk further into the field.

* * *

The Diamond Princess Mine, dusk;

Niko, Maki, and Eli got into a deeper side of the mine; they kept staring at the amount of beautiful crystals attached around the rocky charcoal walls.

"Whoa, I can't believe they have these crystals here too…" Niko said.

"What crystals are these?" Maki asked curiously.

"It's the same crystals that exists in Love Marginal mountain… they're very useful in magic technology… usually used for making equipment's…" Niko said,

"Ah, then each of them have their own use, am I correct?"

"Yeah, I think that scary Umi knows a lot about it already…"

"Then, if possible, we can try picking one sample for each kind and examine them later…" Maki proposed the idea, seeing this as a perfect opportunity to get their hands on some useful materials,

"Yeah, we can do that… maybe you can find a use of it for building our ship, right E—…"

Niko turned to look at Eli,

"Whoa! Eli!" she shouted in surprise as she saw how the blonde's left shoulder, up to her cheeks were glowing. She fell on her knees, facing to the ground as both of her hands partially held her in position.

"E-Eli? What's wrong?!" Maki began to panic.

"I…I feel strange… it's like I feel weakened all of a sudden…" Eli's sounded strained.

"C-Can you stand?" Maki asked trying to help her senior.

"Y-yeah…I…" Eli tried to get up, and succeeding at it even though she was a bit wobbly,

"I can…"

"Hey, this might be bad, let's go back to the camp and see if Hanayo can take care of it…" Niko said.

"Yeah, we should go back…" Maki said.

Then as they turned around…They could feel their ground quake under their feet.

"W-whoa?!" Maki and Niko surprised,

Then once again, it happened.

Maki, Niko and Eli began to look around.

"Damn it… could it be…." Niko bit her lip..

"W-what?" Maki asked.

"Golems…" Niko said.

"Golems…?" Maki frowned.

"Yeah, the guardian golems, they are always wandering around the mine…. "

"Does that mean danger?" Maki asked.

Niko looked hesitant and slightly afraid, "I… I don't know, never faced them…"

"Damn it…." Maki cringed.

* * *

**Ok, thats it for now!**

**Thanks for waiting! I hope you haven't lost interest yet~**


	15. To Make You Mine

**Alright, here we go with the next,**

**Please be patient with the real deal~**

**Thanks for Reviews/comment/ follows/faves.**

**Thanks to crimson for edits!**

* * *

The Camp, Night time;

Rin and Umi have returned to the camp with Kotori, Honoka, and Hanayo. Umi was still upset about the quarrel she had with Nozomi when Rin told everything to the others as they all stared at the quiet Warrior.

"…so that's why you left her there….?" Kotori asked.

"Yeah-nya… and I didn't know what to do, it felt like Umi-chan needed me more than her so I left too nya…"

"Well, it's true that she can be left alone here since…she is able to do things on her own… but either way, I'm glad you two returned here safely…" Hanayo said.

"But… I hope to see Nozomi-chan and remind her that the idea of this trip is to make peace with each other… not to make distance." Kotori sighed.

"I was kind of hoping that this kind of quest would do something about it—but at this rate, it looks like we won't be in peace with each other for a while…" Hanayo said sadly.

"To tell you the truth, I've started to see that this effort is pointless… we should just stick with who we're comfortable with…" Umi said coldly.

"Nope, I think it's the opposite…" Honoka shot out a response after listening to everyone.

"Eh?" Everyone turn their eyes to the ginger haired girl,

"Nozomi-chan is willing to actually communicate, isn't that a progress?"

"I don't think so…" Umi replied sadly

"Uh…but that kind of communication is like something to make more distance-nya…. And the atmosphere was soooo tense and scary…."

The ginger-haired girl looked more determined than ever, "that's a start, we shouldn't just give up…"

"Hmm…If you say so-nya…" Rin replied sadly; slightly hesitant on whole the idea now, after what happened.

Everyone sighed heavily.

"Anyway, where's the other group?" Umi asked.

"They should be inside the mine… I wonder why they are taking so long…." Hanayo asked while looking at the mine entrance in the distance.

"I hope they're not going in too deep, there are guardian golems guarding the depth area…" Kotori said.

"Guardian Golems?" the others wondered.

"Uh…Golems are creatures that protect the lower levels of the mine. They're very slow but yet very powerful, I heard they're friendly, but they're pretty competitive as in, if they see one creature to have the similar power level, they would challenge them to battle…. They're also protective, if they can sense greed in one's eyes, then they will chase them out … then… I heard this from somewhere too but… they seem to dislike the color red… that's why the miners in the past were warned to always cover themselves with another color when working in the depth level."

"Hmm..red? Then… Maki-chan's hair and Niko-chan's eyes….." Honoka paused.

Everyone widen their eyes.

* * *

The Diamond Princess Mine, Night time;

As the three snuck through behind rocks, they could see a giant figure, completely made of rocks and crystals, wandering around the area. Eli still weakened by the spell, marks glowing purple on the left side of her body,

They quietly moved their feet deeper into the depths of the mine.

"Hey…Niko, why are we going further in?" Maki whispered.

"Just trust me; I know there must be some kind of shortcut inside…"

"Eh? Just to remind you, we're underground; we can't somehow just go all the way up without actually climbing up…"

"There, Maki-chan! You're being small minded; just trust my instincts, ok?" Niko said proudly, carefully making her way around, making sure to not make too much noise.

"Sheesh, alright…" Maki sighed.

And they kept on the move while hiding from the slow giant.

It started to get colder and colder as they kept on moving deeper in, while Eli kept getting weaker with every step. Her legs started to shake and her vision began to blur, not that she can see anything in the dark to begin with. It was just that she felt like her eyes would close sooner than what she thought.

_I…I….I feel like I'm dying…. What's happening to me?_

She thought while struggling to keep moving on along with her teammates.

_No…I can't stop here…. I have a lot of things to do…_

She tried her best to keep walking.

_What's wrong with me…. is it her who made me like this….?_

She started to lose her balance.

_Is she still trying to kill me? _

Her movement began to slow down,

_Of course she is…. I know we still don't trust each other while acting like we do… we both are tricksters…aren't we?_

Eli chuckled to herself.

Niko and Maki turned around,

"What's so funny, Eli?" Niko asked.

"Nothing…" Eli replied weakly.

"Eli, you look terrible…" Maki said as she stared at how pale the blonde's face looked.

"I know, but let's keep moving… see if we can actually find this shortcut…. We've gone this far…" Eli's voice sounded nothing more than a mumble at this point, the spell was really draining her.

"Do you want to take a break?" Niko asked.

"I would suggest that too…" Maki said.

"No, its fine, the faster, the better…right? Besides, if I somehow lost consciousness… you two would drag me out…right?" Eli said a little teasingly.

"Eh—I hope I have enough power for that…" Maki said.

Eli giggled,

"Joking, I'll do my best to endure this, ok? Let's hope that I can make it outside… if not, then you all should just leave me here…"

"W-whoa! Eli! Don't say that! Here, use us as support!" Niko said as she grabbed Eli's left hand.

"Y-yeah! I can't leave you behind…" Maki grabbed the blonde's other hand.

Eli giggled again,

"Is that so? Then let's get on this…. Don't get caught by the golems, ok?"

"Yeah…we can't fight them without you…" Maki said.

Then the two put Eli's arm on their shoulder as they walked together through the mine.

* * *

The Diamond Princess Mine—Surface, Night time;

Honoka, Kotori, Umi, Hanayo and Rin walked through the mine. Upon walking they noticed a few dents on the solid rocks where materials have been freshly mined.

"Looks like they've got the silver metal ores…" Hanayo observed.

Kotori wondered with a finger to her chin, "I wonder where they've gone off to though."

"Knowing Eli, she might've wanted to go for a further adventure…" Umi said.

"Further adventure? So they went down to the depths of the mine-nya…?" Rin asked.

"Probably…" Kotori sighed.

"Ah—I hope they're not trying to kill the Golems…" Hanayo said.

"Eh? Why?" Honoka asked.

"Because, just like the name, they're Guardian Golems, they protect the mine… they shouldn't be removed or it will cause an unbalanced nature…"

"This is just a little trivia, but Golems are made from Spirit magic too…" Kotori said.

"Really?" Honoka asked,

"Yup… I think Nozomi-chan should be able to awaken one on her own too if she wants to…"

"Is she really that powerful?" Umi asked,

"Kind of… but, maybe not really without her glove…"

"To tell you the truth, I don't think Nozomi-chan is that powerful she has been depending on her equipment… you might be a lot stronger than her right now…" Hanayo said.

"Mmm…she still has her wit to use..." Kotori replied.

"Hey, this is just an idea, but why don't you two try and fight her?" Honoka asked.

"Eh? Fight her? No…don't think that's a good idea… I never liked to face her since she won't even listen anyway…." Kotori replied.

"If it's important, you should make her listen…just like how you are usually…" Hanayo said.

"Yes, but I think I had enough…and that time was only because I saw it with my own eyes… other than that, she won't even admit her mistakes and will keep spinning around…" a slight sadness could be heard in Kotori's voice.

"Funny, I think I found myself to think alike with you about Eli, except she admits her mistakes when I confront her, even though she will also try to convince me that what she did was something right to do…. But ever since we started to brawl with each other, I think we get that sort of thing away… because we force each other to understand each other…and it's a good practice too…" Umi said.

Hanayo looked to be interested with the idea, though she decided to keep quiet about it for now.

"Uh… I don't think I can brawl… if we ever fight, then that might be the time when we try to kill each other… and magic is too dangerous, even for us.…" Kotori said.

"Is that so? Then… I suppose we can forget about brawling… but either way, I understand that she is troublesome to talk with… I hate to say that I really dislike her, even though I was wishing to get along with all of you…"

Kotori nodded in agreement,

"I'm sorry for the trouble…"

"No need to be sorry…besides, I've grown to like you, Kotori…"

"Eh?" Kotori blushed slightly.

Umi realized about what she just said and began to panic,

"I-I mean! Like as….like… a friend! You've took care of me since I first set foot here, so—I like you because of that! Then! Uh…I…I like you because you never pry too much on my things and support me when you think you need to…I…kind of always like a friend like that…." Umi said.

The redness of Kotori's cheeks took a darker shade with every word the bluenette spoke.

"I-it's not a flirt….ok? It's uh…a…co-compliment!" Umi fervently stuttered, trying to explain herself.

"Umi-chan! I like you for always being on my side too! Even though you're busy with your own things! I always wanted a friend like that! You look beautiful and gentle too!" Kotori shyly played with her own fingers.

Now it was Umi's turn to blush, "E-eh?! W-Well! Kotori, you're cute too… I wish I can take you home."

"W-wait! What am I saying?! Why is this all too sudden!?" Umi protested to herself.

"Ah—yes…why are we talking about this all so sudden?" Kotori said, still blushing slightly.

"I can smell something faintly…" Honoka interrupted without really meaning to but it was a good way to distract the awkward couple.

"Anemone Heart…" Hanayo said.

"Uh? What? What about my ship?" Umi asked.

"No-no.. but there is a material called Anemone Heart here… did you know every flower has its own meaning?" Hanayo asked.

"Anemone means anticipation… that's what I know…" Umi replied.

"Yup, the positive side is anticipation, and the negative side, is a fading hope…" Hanayo explained.

"Hmm….I didn't know it could mean a fading hope…" Umi admitted.

Hanayo nodded and continued with her explanation. "Yep, it depends on how you interpret it, but anyway, Anemone Heart doesn't usually grow inside caves, but perhaps the miners are planting them for security… the scent of Anemone Heart will make people speak their mind without realizing. Sometimes it's a good thing, but sometimes it's a bad thing. Planting them here is a good tactic to know who are greedy and who are not…and what a person does or doesn't want to do…"

"Oh, so it's like forcing someone to speak their mind-nya?"

"Yup, it's like the flowers itself expect you to tell what you have in mind…"

"Woah…"

"The other thing about this Anemone Heart is that its effect is not included in magic nor blessing or curse, so it basically ignores all immunity, but their effects also only come up sometimes…"

"Hmm…I wonder if I can somehow extract that trait out of it…" Kotori said.

"Eh? What for?" Honoka asked,

"Uh…because of a few races that I know… I wanted to extract it so I can make a healing potion for those races… I heard they still can get sick from a few type of bacteria and virus… and they don't have the healing potion yet… so I wonder if that trait can make a healing potion work out…"

Umi smiled slightly,

"Then, do you want to pick it up after we find them?" Umi asked.

"Yes please…" Kotori replied with a small gentle smile.

* * *

Diamond Princess Mine, the depth, Night time;

The giants turned their sight around as they scanned through a room while the trio, Maki, Eli and Niko stayed as invincible as they could in the darkness.

"Are they deaf?" Maki asked,

"Looks like it…" Niko said.

Eli was forced to remain quiet, there was nothing she could do with the fact that she was getting weaker and weaker, going in further into the depths of the mine.

"Then we just have to make sure we're not seen, right?" Maki assured with the short girl.

"Yeah… want to make a run for it?" Niko asked.

Maki turned to Eli, her sight moving from the blonde to the bag hanging on Niko's back, then to the tunnel which appeared to look like a place that had been made by human as it has a wooden door in its entrance.

"We've got everything, correct? Then we can try that…"

Niko scanned through a few belongings before she nodded.

"If anything, make sure you use that magic of yours again…" she continued.

"Which magic?" Niko asked.

"The one where you cast some sort of darkness and cover up the view with black smoke …"

"Oh…that… sure… it's called Niko-Niko Great Escape…"

"Hell with the name, just cast it when we're in danger…"

"Alright-alright, spoilsport…"

They started to move towards the tunnel as they held Eli with them and as they run further…

_I…I don't think I can make it..._

Eli thought,

_This is it… I can't do this anymore…_

"Eli! Don't lose your consciousness! You're heavy!" Maki said as she struggled to keep on holding her.

"Don't make us drag you like a worthless sack, ok?" Niko said as she also tried her best.

"If you can't do it…just save yourself first, ok?" Eli said.

"I can't leave you!" Maki said.

"Yeah—we're team for now, so we must do our best for everyone…" Niko said as they struggled to run as fast as they could.

The blonde felt touched by the words and let out a soft smile at the two.

As they finally managed to get through the tunnel, Eli could feel herself regaining some of her strength and energy come back, though she still wondered as to what exactly was going on…

"Maki, Niko…" Eli called.

"Yeah?" they answered.

"Something is coming back… but I'm not sure why…"

"Uh, yeah, your mark is dimming too…" Niko took a closer look at the blonde.

"Does that mean you feel like you're back to normal?" Maki asked.

"Sort of, but let's keep moving…. Maybe I can walk on my own again if we go further…"

"Yeah, hope so…" Maki smiled

* * *

The White Lily, night time;

Nozomi sat on a rock as she enjoyed the view of a huge hive covered with honey and huge bee-like insects swarming around it, tending their young and food supply with full of discipline. Far in front of her, in the middle of the field, there was one abandoned well that appeared to be dry and dusty,

She waited patiently as the time flew by, a strong looking hand reached the mouth of the well,

A certain blonde came up and quickly jumped out before she helped the other two out of the well—having done that in ease.

"There.." Eli pulled the two together

"Whoa, there, you're really strong…" Niko said.

"Eh—we are soldiers, so it's kind of not that surprising…" Maki said.

"Still though, I never saw anyone who can pull me out that easily…"

Eli chuckled—which caused the turquoise eyed girl to frown in jealousy while watching them from afar.

"You're tiny, so of course it's easy…"

"Hmm…. you're really strong indeed…" Nozomi said loudly as she walked to approach them.

The trio turned their sight around to the mage,

"Nozomi…" Eli frowned slightly.

"How was your trip…? Good?" Nozomi asked smiling mischievously at the three, stopping right in front of them.

Eli was about to say something, but the red-head beat her to it,

"I bet you know something about the thing that happened to her…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Maybe?" she replied as she crossed her arms and averted her eyes.

"Ehh…so it was your doing after all…. What a tricky mage…" Niko said mockingly.

"My… being villainized by a pirate sure is a compliment…"

"Have we told you, that we're not just a pirate? We're sort of a spy as well…"

Nozomi chuckled again,

"I can brush you off anytime I want, but anyway, back to my first question… did you enjoy your trip, dear?" Nozomi focused her eyes on Eli.

"If that's your way to make me take you with me, no…. I'm still going to say no…"

"Stubborn, aren't you…?"

"I am and will harden myself even more…" Eli replied clearly.

Nozomi smirked,

"Hmm…. you know, the further you are from me, the weaker you are… so if you don't take me with you, you won't be able to work like how you're supposed to…" she said, with a proud stance.

Eli nodded,

"I see… that explains it… but I don't care… I will still return without you…" Eli crossed her arms—and her fingers, hiding them behind her elbow which didn't go unnoticed by her teammates.

"You're fine with staying in bed all the time? I thought you love the battle field…" Nozomi said.

"If it means that my time has to come, then let it be… I don't care anymore… at least I know what I will do when I'm on my bed… then perhaps, I can finally have a reason to do what I wanted to do all the time."

A look of worry was evident on Nozomi's face as she but the nail her thumb,

Maki took a deep breath,

"Eli, if you're weak, we will have to euthanize you as well…" Maki said, somewhat adding a sad and shocked feeling into her words,

"It's better that way, right? There will be no more of the Ayase family living on Terra…. There will be no more cold blooded killers in battle… no more immortal tanker and no more burden to the base as they will never have to maintain my arm monthly…and plus, it will save me from suffering…"

Nozomi's eyes went wide surprise hearing the blonde talk that way.

"Whoa, that's extreme, but I suppose if that is for the best…. I believe it must be a lot better that way instead of being controlled by someone who doesn't even know you…" Niko said.

"Let's just go back to the camp… the others must be really worried about us…" Eli said before she started walked away along with Niko and Maki.

Unsatisfied, Nozomi chagrined and yelled,

"I won't give up until you are willing to take me with you!"

The three paused in trail,

Eli sighed weakly.

"As long you don't have a reason why you want to come, then I'll never take you there…"

"It was because I want to get to know you and your life! I want to get to know your technology, your people, and everything else!"

"Then it doesn't have to be soon, right? Can't you wait for one year? Because of our age, we aren't considered as real adults yet… and it will be still very dangerous there…"

"Yeah, you really don't want to live there…" Maki pitched in.

"Besides, if you just want to familiarize with their technology, why not join us rebuilding our ship?" Niko said.

"O-oi! Niko, I thought you wanted to keep it hidden from her…" Maki said.

"Nah— there's a lot more important things to think about… besides, even if she won't allow it to happen, you can always just take me to Sixth Land, second High-way road, level three twenty four…"

"Eh…I guess so…"

"Tell you what; we don't have time for your personal drama, Nozomi. I believe Eli knows better…"

"Yeah, and…we know you're only using us to help you collect materials for you to rebuild your glove… we know it's just your selfish desire…and we decided play along—and honestly, we will even let you do that while we take care of bigger troubles… not you… but another…" Maki said.

"Yup, have you heard about Seven Stars of The Black Sea?" Niko asked.

Eli and Nozomi both widened their eyes,

"They are the real enemy, you know… and I bet you didn't know because you were too busy with strengthening yourself and digging knowledge from others pointlessly…" Niko said proudly putting a hand on her hip.

"Huh? I've never heard of them…" Maki looked at the short raven-haired girl.

"You don't know? Geez, Maki-chan so small minded, they're like the most wanted pirates, they were the one we talked about before, remember? Otherwise, we wouldn't even try to be a pirate, sheesh—we could've become merchants or something!"

"I…I didn't get it before, but Eli knows, so I was planning to ask her later, sheesh…" Maki replied averting her eyes away while twirling the tips of her hair.

"Hah! But anyway! Now you know about us and our real targets, what will you say, Nozomi?" Niko asked taking a glance at the purple-haired girl who has been standing quietly.

"Who are you actually working for…? Why have I never heard you?" Nozomi frowned,

"Do you think a spy would reveal themselves in an unnecessary time? How idiotic… I'm working for the space police. I'm telling you about it because you seem to be still limited with what you see on Earth… your furious responses are ridiculously stupid and you're very small minded as well… so basically, you're strong but you're useless…"

"I can't trust you… you might be the member of the pirate instead of the police…"

"Say whatever you want, because I don't even need you to trust me… I've got someone's support… right Eli?" Niko turned her head towards the tall blonde.

Eli shook her head,

"I promised to help you re-build your ship but I refuse to do it if you can't meet my requirement…" she said.

Niko taken back by what she said started to protest, "Huh?! What? What requirements?! You never told me before!"

"There she goes again…" Maki sighed.

"There are a lot, but I'll tell you after I know what you've got so far…"

"D-damn! But Eh, anyway, point is, we really don't have time for you, Nozomi… besides, I know someone who can remove the curse without your help… so, bye…" Niko said before the three continued to walk again,

"Wait there!" Nozomi called out once more,

"What now?" Niko turned around,

"I'm not talking to you; I want to talk with Ericchi!"

"Talk then…" Eli said.

"Will you really do this to me …?"

"You're clearly trying to harm me, so everything is over by then…" Eli replied.

"You know that's not the point! I just want you to understand that I really want you to take me there! I can remove it, I can stop it from harming you, and I can even do better… I really will be a good lover for you, if you take me there!"

"Once again, Nozomi, No…."

"I told you I'm capable of being there!"

"No! You're not!"

"I can!"

"We're at this again, but no! Still no and will never change until you can give me a good reason!"

"Then tell me what can make you agree! I bet there's none!"

"Didn't I confirm about the danger that approach upon us? After a lot of people talking about it, you know the Earth needs you, and yet you want to go with me—do you plan to abandon your responsibility?!"

"This world is not on my shoulders, didn't I tell you that?!"

"I didn't say it's all on your shoulder! You just need to work together with them!"

"They don't need me to save the world; I'm not a hero to begin with… I am just me…"

Eli, Maki and Niko stood in silence as they saw how much emotion Nozomi put out with every word she spoke.

"I am no one here… so please take me…let me try to be someone else out there… someone who isn't known by anyone…. Someone who has never taken place in anyone's memory but yours—and perhaps your comrades…" Nozomi begged.

"I'm not going to change my mind… Besides—" Eli said.

Maki cuts in, "Hey, Eli, don't you think you can give her a shot?"

"Why would I? You know how dangerous it is to be there…"

"Yeah, but, I sort of want to know more about what she can do—she might be troublesome, but…I want to give her a chance to actually try… perhaps she can solve a few of our problems, the ones we were unable to do…"

"It's not her responsibility… She has her own…"

"See? You're just as troublesome as her…but eh—you called me troublesome before too …"

Eli sighed heavily.

"So what is it with this merry band of misfits together? Why do you want to give her a shot?"

Maki looked from her senior to the girl, whose face looked like a hurt puppy about to breakdown right in front of them, "Because you gave me a shot before… so why not with her?"

"That was different case, ok? You were forced to deal with it while she could be living peacefully here…" Eli replied.

"Hey, isn't that a contradicting with your previous statement? I mean like—you said you want her to protect the Earth, then what with this 'living peacefully' about?" Maki asked raising one of her eyebrows.

"That's….." Eli found herself lost in her own words.

"That's just an excuse, right?"

"Yes…" Eli replied with a slight shame shown on her face,

"So it was true, whatever reason she says, you won't listen…."

Eli bit her lip,

"Sheesh, you could've just said so…"

"Look, I did, but she won't listen!" Eli sighed and rubbed the side of her neck.

"I'm not because I don't want to be left here!" Nozomi said,

"See? We can't agree and she doesn't want to give up!"

"Then you have to give up for her…" Maki said.

"No! My reason is clear—because I don't want her to feel what we feel!"

"But I want to live with you—I want to understand you! Why can't you open yourself for that? I mean, look! Your junior agreed with me! It doesn't hurt to let me try, right?" A slight desperation too over Nozomi's tone.

"What if you can't make it? Do you think I'll want it? Beside, why can't you wait for one year? Why? Is there anything you want from me before that?"

Nozomi averted her eyes,

"No! Of course not! I just want to get to know you!"

"You can't make a good reason— you keep repeating that over and over!"

"Because that is my true reason! I don't have any other!"

"Is it really?!"

"Yes! It is!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Ericchi!" Nozomi intimidated,

"No! I'm not going to allow you!"

"Shut up, you two!" Maki yelled trying to get the two to be quiet; the red-head never thought two people older than her would give her such a headache. Their stubborn character was way worse than what she had imagined.

The two stunned, heeded to the red-head, not expecting the younger girl to raise her voice.

"We're going nowhere with this…. Why we don't just think about it later? I mean, we still have like… 3 weeks? We can start deciding then…but for now, let's just…try to unite…like actually unite…and work together" Niko suggested crossing her arms above her chest.

"Yeah, that was the first purpose of us doing your…'quest'…" Maki made a hand gesture,

"Right…?" she raised her eyebrow.

"…we were about to have a deal— a duel to decide, but she refused to play fair… so of course I don't want it…" Eli said.

"It was fair—I just don't want to agree with breaking up…"

"Looking at how you responded that time, I bet you'll still sneak into my ship and join me—that's a lot more dangerous, you know… beside, it was for the best…"

"My, you know what I'll do, but yes— that will be my last choice if everything else fails… and no—that's not for the best!"

"Stubborn!"

"Idiot!"

"Sloppy!"

"Strict-ass!"

"Pervert!"

"Breast-molester!"

And the two began to argue,

Maki and Niko simultaneously face palmed.

The red-head's fingers formed to rub the bridge of her nose, "What should we do with them….?"

"I wish I could just smack them unconscious or something then drag them to the camp…." Niko sighed, her closed eyes twitching in annoyance.

Maki felt an idea fall on her head; she lifted her eyebrows and grabbed Niko by the shoulder,

"That's it! You're brilliant!"

"Huh?"

Maki quickly tuned her glove,

"What are you—…"

And before Niko could finishher words, Maki aimed the small needle gun on both of her gloves towards Eli and Nozomi.

* * *

The Diamond Princess Mine, surface;

They decided to split up and search around, Hanayo stood in the center area as Rin and Honoka went towards the west while Kotori and Umi went to the east side of the cave,

"….and we ended up still finding nothing… I wonder where they went…" Kotori said.

Umi remained quiet scratching at her beret,

"Anyway, say, Umi-chan… you said it before, that you like me because I never pry about your things… is that true?" Kotori asked.

"Huh? Yes… of course it is…"

"Then… is it a lot more comfortable if I do that instead of caring about what you're doing?"

Umi tilted her head slightly to the question,

"To be honest, it would be nice if you care, but only as a support or suggestion, because what we do is what we want to be responsible with… and it's our choice, not yours… but in all honesty, sometimes I always want to discipline others at my will… such as Honoka, that person really makes me go around if not being controlled…"

"So…I guess, it was only ok for you to do that if the person is like Honoka-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Well… to begin with, I don't think it's ok if the person doesn't want us to be involved in what they do… if they want to keep it for their own, so let them…. that's what I believe… because after all, I don't want anyone to be involved with what I want to keep for myself… " Umi replied.

"I see…." Kotori nodded,

"Say, though, do you have anything you want to keep for yourself?" Umi asked.

Kotori remained quiet for a moment,

She shook her head slowly after.

"I've been always living in someone's guidance, to the rule that I have believed all the time… It was created by my mother, and I want to be loyal to it…." Kotori replied.

"Oh…. will it be a bother if I want more explanation about it?" Umi asked.

Kotori shook her head again,

"No, it's fine… I can tell you everything… I don't have any secrets to keep about myself…"

Umi remained quiet to listen.

"It was back then when my mother lived here with me, she was sick—she need a high-grade antidote…so I was….working harder for her….yet I couldn't do it yet back then…so….she…"

Kotori took a deep breath,

"…she had to be taken away by a few people who said that she can be cured… I was trying to protest, but I knew it wasn't wise of me to do that…so I kept quiet…and…. The last word that my mother said to me was….don't forget the rule and please take care of everyone—especially Nozomi-chan…because she needs someone to do that for her…." Kotori continued.

"So…I…I'm confused about what I actually should do to take care of her, I feel like…she is my responsibility, because I promised…. Even though I never liked her to begin with… I can't get along with her—no matter how hard I try to agree with her…"

Kotori stopped walking, her hands joined together in front of her as she looked down at the solid bumpy ground. Umi stared and listened her in silence.

"I know I've started to become that person, the annoying one who gets in someone's way...one that easily whines about my troubles to others…but…I…I just really don't know what to do…. I really have no lead for myself…."

"At times, I just try to follow what Honoka wants to do, because i….I think it's a lot more fun that way and I enjoy being a support for my lead…but, since Nozomi-chan always brushes them off….I couldn't show that part of me… I have to try and lead because of her…even though that is really not my place…and even though I really hate being who I have to be…"

"I really want to escape….escape from my responsibility…. from what I was forced to be in… I want to live in another place…. But I know I can't….since…I…I still have to wait for my mother here…" Kotori said.

"Where's she now?" Umi asked.

"I…I don't know….I don't even know where those people took her… but I know she is still alive because she keeps sending me letters from time to time… a letter with no address but mine—one that I can't reply. I don't understand why she even does that, part of me is scared that she is living horribly… but part of me believes that she is alright or she won't be able to send me letter every once in a month…" Kotori replied.

"I understand, but I'll keep an eye on her—may I know her details?" Umi asked.

Kotori giggled,

"It's easy to know her, just remember to find an older version of me with the exact family name then you'll figure her out at instant…we also have this, trademarks…" she played with her hair tuft.

"Oh…"

"But thanks anyway, Umi-chan…I'm happy that you're willing to listen to me… I'm feeling slightly better now…"

Umi nodded,

"I wish to comment on it as well, but…is that ok?" She asked,

"Mmm….Yes, it's ok…"

"I think you should move on from what people tell you to do. You have your own decisions and it's not worth it to be loyal to what you don't like to do—and can't do. Because, in fact, you can't make Nozomi do what you wish her to do, she is too wild, too harsh and too violent for you. Just stick with the person you can help with… a person who will listen to you….a person who will actually think about what you tell to them…."

"You think so?"

There was a look on determination and seriousness in Umi's eyes, but yet very soothing and gently, the bluenette nodded, "Yes, I think so…. Even though I understand your feeling very much, but the key to be peaceful to a person like them is to let them do what they want and support them only when they need it… and that only because I think she is similar to Eli."

"I think the same too…"

Umi nodded,

"I'm glad… but, what will you do next? Are you finally really going to let her do what she wants to do?"

"I don't know, sometime I feel like my emotions drive me to do what I shouldn't…. any tips for that?"

"Hmm…. I really understand that part too, but to be honest, I got over that after I focused my care towards my junior, Maki, other than because she actually listens, she also respects me a lot more than Eli herself… also, because she is a junior where they are generally supposed to listen to the senior… but also to remember that even though she is a junior, we still have to understand and respect their privacy…"

"Hmm…does Eli respect you?" Kotori asked.

"She does…Eli never pries to know what I don't wish to tell her, she also always protects me from any kind of harm, and acknowledges me as part of the team… and she always takes care of my needs without me even realizing… and that time before I met Maki, I was very sure that I was always right and she was the wrong one, I kept wanting to 'fix' her, I kept wanting to make her do what I think is right…"

"How did meeting her make you realize?" Kotori wondered.

"It will be a lot of things, but, to put it simply… the way Eli and Maki communicate, made me see that not everyone thinks the same way I do, and not everyone expresses what they think the same way with me… even though we have the same purpose and wishes…"

"I see…."

Umi continued, "…and in all honesty, it made me feel embarrassed to remember how I was back then, always running around going like, 'Eli! Hold it! It's too risky! Eli! Don't do it! Eli! Stop that! Eli! You're no one to say that!' and I didn't even let myself take a single breath. I worry about her too much, and I keep thinking that she doesn't know what she is doing… but it turns out that I'm the one who doesn't understand her about the way she make things right…"

"Does that mean, she is wild?" The ash-brunette asked

"No…not quite… she is not wild, she is just, rarely explaining what she wants to do and makes other's go nuts… even though she knows how to be disciplined and appropriate on her own. She is also too harsh when expressing what she wants to express…"

Kotori giggled,

"A risk taker like Honoka-chan then?"

"No…not quite a risk taker …she is…uh… something else…. She has strategy, she has knowledge and she has power…maybe let's just say she is complicatedly perfect… but anyway, enough about her, how did you meet Honoka?"

"Uhm…Honoka-chan and I met about six years ago… I don't really remember the details but we became friends at the first sight… she and her family started from becoming a traveling food merchant…"

"She was….always had been so cheerful…even though she isn't actually living peacefully, always on the run from the guards because they never have the money to pay tax... until she eventually was officially able to open a real shop at my hometown. They somehow managed to pay everything after three years…and Honoka-chan finally can let her hands off the shop to become the person she is right now…"

Umi smiled slightly.

"If you said it like that, it feels like a pirate is a good occupation…"

Kotori turned around before she sigh softly and said,

"Umi-chan, please keep this a secret, but…Honoka-chan is actually working for the police, she isn't an actual pirate…."

"Eh…?"

"Sorry I had to lie to you before, I wasn't sure about you yet, so I had to do it… but anyway, yes, she is a spy… she becames a pirate to find information about the wanted Pirate group called…seven…uh…what was it….."

"The Seven Stars of the Black Sea?"

"Ah! Yes! Yes! That!" Kotori said.

Umi frowned and tightly clenched her fist,

"How do you know?" Kotori asked.

"I have history with them…." Umi replied.

Kotori smiled slightly,

"I see…then, you want to help us?"

"I will… but, tell me, this quest is actually to remake her weapon, right?"

"Yes…pretty much…."

"Then, I hope your coordination to help me to get to know with each of the materials…like, which one is best for what and how does she pick her materials…"

"I….I don't think I can be much help, but I know about materials generally….so….i guess that's all I can do for you…but, what are you make of that knowledge?"

"I want to upgrade our weapons…because we have actually been targeting that specific pirate group; they're intimidating us, saying that they will make get their revenge somehow. We know they have magic in their hands and combined with our technology as well, so….I wanted to match them with it…"

"So you weren't planning to strike us with it?"

"Of course not, why would we? We have a bigger enemies to deal with… and honestly, I was sort of thinking that you all might be one of them, turns out that you're on our side…"

Kotori giggled,

"Then I guess we really need to get to know each other better…"

Umi nodded,

"Yes, there's…. no more suspecting…but…what about Nozomi?"

"About her….huh? Well…."

* * *

The campsite, night time;

Eli and Nozomi were both sleeping deeply and Maki and Niko placed them down on the bed,

"Whoah….can't believe they're that heavy…" Niko fell to the floor exhausted from carrying one of the two.

"What do you expect, Eli with her heavy metal arm, then Nozomi….uh…with…her…..heavy….load…." Maki replied.

"You mean her big boobs?"

"Yeah…"

"She is loading it with spiritual power, you know…" Niko giggled to herself.

"What…"

"Never mind that joke, where's the others?"

Maki turned her sight, looking around the campsite.

"Not sure…maybe they went in to the cave to look for us?"

"Eh—maybe… should we go get them then?"

"Why not…." Maki replied before the two walked back to the cave, leaving Eli and Nozomi alone in the camp.

After a few minutes,

The camp was left in complete silence, Nozomi opened her eyes slightly, peeking around her surroundings before she got up quickly and pulled out a small needle from her neck.

She chuckled as she smiled mischievously.

"Do they seriously think I was unconscious from a sleeping poison? How foolish…" she mumbled,

Then she turned to Eli who was still quiet on her bed.

"My…. How precious, are you actually asleep from that poison?" Nozomi said as she jumped off her own bed to approach her,

Eli didn't respond,

Nozomi carefully brushed her finger against the blonde's cheek, then down to her left shoulder,

She stared to look around for the situation, and then returned her emerald eyes back to the sleeping beauty before she chuckled softly,

"Now…that we're here and I've finally got this chance…."

She trailed her hands down to her shirt, carefully unbuttoning it to reveal the smooth pale skin under…

"Let me make you mine…"

* * *

**Ok! **

**I read your reviews, said you miss the Non-AU fics.**

**Trust me, i've tried to come up with ideas for it but it's pretty hard since I pretty much already wrote them in 'secret romance' . But maybe I'll write short one before going to the next fic.**

**I have a plan to write NikoMaki AU fics after this one, due to my promise to...uh...Cl...Cla...who... I don't remember the name of the person who PMed me. **

**But anyway, please wait until I finish this one~ let's not abandon the story, k? lol. It's not me to not finish a story that I started~**


	16. Mining for Love

**Ok, sorry for late update again, I'm super busy lol**

**But i'm doing my best,**

**Thanks fore reviews, comment, faves, follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson for the edit!**

* * *

Two weeks passed,

Everyone has been living in the camp together, with few making great progress in their relationships. The team over all worked well even though they still had a few points where they would clash and had a hard time making up, but they will appriciated each others choices and put aside the differences,

Maki could easily get along with Niko, Rin, and Hanayo a lot better than with Honoka and Kotori, while Umi likes to get along with them than the previous trio. But even then everyone is able get along with each other except…for the two who kept themselves away from the group.

Eli and Nozomi, for the past two weeks haven't made any progress. Despite the constant teasing and bullying from the purple head, Eli showed no intrest in opening up—not for her, not for anyone.

Even though she can communicate and go along with the others to work effectively, she was still unwilling to open up about herself. Although she has been a a great help and accepted by the whole group, the blonde still prefered to sit on the side and watch over the girls who have been playing around all day after finishing their tasks,

"Oi! Honoka! I'm going to get you!" Umi yelled as she ran after the said ginger.

"Aaa—Umi-chan is so scary!" Honoka kept running around the camp, holding the red beret that Umi usually wore.

"Don't get caught, Honoka-chan!" Kotori encouraged, waving her hands in the air.

"Ey—Maki! Where the hell is Rin?"

"Huh? How should I know?! Do I look like I can hide her somehow?"

"She took the flag! Sheesh! How can I finish examining the materials if she keeps taking them out?!"

"Don't ask me! Ask Hanayo! She went with her a while back!" Maki replied nonchalantly.

"I was just complaining!"

"Don't complain to me!"

"Heck—I was just complaining on my own!"

And the two began to argue.

Eli sighed and just when she is about to rest her back to the wall of the tent….

"Ericchi…" Nozomi called as she kept her eyes on the glove she was working on,

Eli turned her head partically to glance at girl talking,

"I'm almost done with my glove… what do you want to do next?"

"Pack up and go home… since I'm finally done with a troublesome person like you… plus, I already helped you to get what you lost, back… so I have no debt, right?"

"You're right…. you have done enough here…." Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"Seriously though, this feels more like a nightmare than a vacation, I feel so awkward here…"

"You're naturally an awkward…. You know that?"

"Not like you're not…"

"Stubborn…"

"I'm not going to start this argument again or I'll get another sleeping poison needle on my neck…." Eli rubbed her neck, soothing out the unfelt prick of the needle that rested there before,

"Can't believe Maki knows how to tune her own glove with it…." she continued,

"On the bright side, I get to see your cuteness when you're asleep…" Nozomi said,

"That's not what you said before…"

"What? Forget the past… you really do look cute… I was so close to kiss those beautiful lips of yours…."

"Ha-ha very funny…"

"There, I just want to respect you so let's make peace with each other, ok? Do you want to feel my spiritual power as a sign that we made up?"

"No…No thanks… I like it but I realize that its just going to make things harder…"

Nozomi giggled,

"I have an idea of what kind of things that might get harder as you touch me, but…I'm not sure about it when you put it in that context…."

Eli rolled her eyes,

"You're a pervert, I know that… you kept a set of erotic movies in your ship, right?"

Eli widen her eyes,

"H-how did you?!"

Nozomi giggled,

"Back when your juniors snuck into my workshop, they decided to go and take a little peek in your ship. I think they were looking for your tablet since I saw them trying to connect it with theirs, but they couldn't find it and ended up finding a set of movies instead…. They looked very curious about it and decided to play it—turns out to be an erotic movie… you should've seen their faces when watching it… they were so astonished—that dark blue haired one, Umi-chan? Her nose was bleeding so much that she nearly fainted while the red haired one, Maki-chan, was so tense that she kept yelling at Umi-chan. I think they had some kind of an awkward moment with each other after, so-much-so that they didn't even want to make contact with each other…."

She giggled again,

"You all are so cute…" she smiled mockingly,

Eli put a palm on her face…

"…why did they even open it…." the blonde mumbled with a small hint of embarresment,

"Can't say I blame them, there was no cover on it so they had to satisfy their curious minds—even I didn't expect it to contain such explicit content…but I'm glad I didn't destroy it….it could come in handy later…."

"I'll dispose that…."

"Hmmm? Why? It's a good collection, I have kept a few erotic magazines myself, I bet you already knew that…"

"Yes, under your bed…." Eli sighed.

"I heard it's a requirement to be called as an adult…"

"No….it's not…I told you there's no such thing…"

"No? But we have to understand that, right?"

"Yes…"

Nozomi giggled again,

"Put that aside, there are a lot more interesting topics to talk about now…like, how come the person who said she hates females never have erotic movies of a straight relationship, but instead have ones starred by only females? There should be an explanation about it, right?"

Eli smirked slightly,

"Of course…"

"But more importantly, why are they always playing it rough? Are you interested in such fetish?"

"Do I even need to tell you?"

Nozomi playfully smiled at her,

"There, you don't need to be so sensitive, I was just asking…"

Eli rolled her eyes and quickly stood up,

"Where are you going?"

"Wherever I feel like, I just want to go for a walk…"

"Then, why don't we go to the Pure Love Lens Lake again? I think they picked up the wrong quality for the Pure Love Lens Emerald… would be nice if I can get it replaced…"

"I'm going alone?"

"Of course not, I'll go with you, I doubt you'll know what quality I expect…."

Eli sighed heavily, "Alright then, knowing that it should be the last task…"

"Oh it will… unless you make another mistake and force yourself to be responsible for it…"

"I hope you're not trying to provoke me to do something that…"

"Don't worry, I won't….especially because you have to go home soon…"

"Yes, and it's time to move on from our previous argument…" Eli said in agreement.

"Yup, I've moved on…." Nozomi giggled playfully.

Eli squint her eyes,

"Really?"

"Yes…. Really…."

"Somehow I don't believe you…"

"Trust me, I really did moved on from that… perhaps you're right…I shouldn't be forcing you too much… Ericchi has her own business to do…and I shouldn't be involved unless you want me to…"

"Good, now about the task… Pure Love Lens Lake you say?"

"Yup, that's right…."

"Alright, let's go… I can't wait for this to be over…"

Eli stood up and started to walk away as Nozomi quickly put on her glove and followed her.

As the two left, Kotori was about to say something but Umi quickly grabbed her shoulder, reminding her about the thing she should do.

Kotori nodded, then turned her eyes back to Honoka, who still had a sheepish look on her face even after getting caught by Umi.

"Huweeee—Umi-chan is so strong and fast…" She said with a mock pout.

"Of course—and that's also because you have a lot of fat stored inside your body! You should go on a diet!" Umi successfully puts the beret back on her head, after taking it from the ginger haired girl, who now looked at the blunette in disbelief.

"Ahhh! Speaking of diet! I just remembered Nozomi-chan should be on a diet too! We've been feeding her meat this whole time!"

"Oh?" Umi tilt her head slightly,

"Uh—Oh, I wonder why Eli-chan hasn't complained…" Kotori said with a questioning look on her face,

"Maybe it's because she wants to let her enjoy the time that we're here? Or maybe she doesn't care about it anymore?" Honoka looked at the two, finally pitching into the conversation.

"The second one sounds more likely…" Umi sighed,

"Hmmm…yeah…I feel like they're moving backwards again…." Kotori said.

"It's like they're only moving between being enemies or lovers, there's no friend phase… they're too hard to understand…"

"hehe, but I'm sure they have that phase somewhere, we just can't see it…" Honoka smiled.

"Honoka..." Umi returned the smile with a more gentle one,

"Sometimes I think you're actually the wisest one between us…Honoka-chan…" Kotori admitted.

"Eh? Really? I thought it was just because you all have been so focused on about being who you are instead of focusing on who others are…"

"Eh?" Kotori and Umi raised their eyebrows at the same time questioning their ginger friend.

"What I mean is that, it doesn't matter who we are, as long as we can make others happy and stop all the madness that goes around… the entire galaxy could've been a lot more peaceful that way… or at least that's what Tsubasa-chan said to me…"

"Tsubasa-chan….? Are you really that close with her?" Umi asked.

"Uh, well, I…I have been always in contact with her…so yes, I guess?" Honoka replied.

"You're always in contact? How could I not know?"

"Because I always go off on my own when I'm in a call…Tsubasa-chan doesn't like it when we talk with other people around?"

"Huh?"

"There, Umi-chan, she isn't called as spy for nothing…" Kotori sweetly smiled at the now confused, and curious blunette.

"I…I see…."

"Hehe, but anyhow, I've been talking about the three of you with her, she said that she really knows three of you so well—the top three ranked students who always have gotten the highest points wherever they go… Eli-chan is the Immortal Knight, Umi-chan the Elite Marksman, then Maki-chan the Furious Assassin… she always wanted to take three of you as a member of the police when you graduate…." Honoka said.

"Ah, then it would be my pleasure, I think Eli would agree with it too…"

"Really?"

"Yes, but I don't know about Maki…" Umi turned her sight to the red-head who was still endlessly arguing with Niko.

"We should ask her when she is done…" Kotori suggested.

"Yeah..we should…"

"But hmm…I wonder where Hanayo-chan and Rin-chan had gone off to?" Honoka wondered, turning her head around the area in search for the already missing duo.

Kotori tried to recall, "Not sure, think they said they were going to go test the flying carpet?"

"Oh…"

* * *

Somewhere on the sky,

Rin and Hanayo were sitting on top of a huge flying carpet of a black color.

"Ah! Kayochin!" Rin shouted cheerfully as she pointed to the nearby green dragon,

"Oh! The Green Sky Diver, what a sight!" Hanayo said cheerfully as well, clapping her hands together.

"Hehe! There should be a yellow one around here somewhere! They always go around together-nya!"

"I want to see the red one! It's very rare!" Hanayo said.

"Oh, red one? Uhm… that one is a little too fierce to be encountered, they're veeeeeeeeerrry protective-nya!"

"Ah?"

"But—I heard, from Tsubasa-san, that if they're on our side, they will be very gentle!"

"Really?"

"Yep! Tsubasa-san is an expert about creatures! I think she knows almost 80% of the galaxy-nya!"

"Oh—I didn't know… is she studying it on her own?" Hanayo asked.

"Hmm..well, she is a summoner-nya…I'm not sure how it works but they are similart to familiars except she needs to capture the actual creatures first-nya…."

"Oh, okay…"

"Speaking of which, don't you think red dragons are like Maki-chan-nya?" Rin asked.

"Uh…what?"

"Red Dragons! They're very protective towards their friends-nya. But they always make distance while doing it! It's very like her-nya!" Rin said.

"Ahh! Are they doing that to the others? Then, uhm, is Maki-chan doing that?"

"Yup, pretty much-nya! When she taught me how to fight, she always got upset-nya! But, she is still very patient enough teach me nya! She is very cute-nya!"

"Is that so? Tell me more about her!" Hanayo looked to be very interested in the topic.

"Hehe, well… Maki-chan is—…."

* * *

The Lake Side, dusk;

Eli stood near the lake as she held Nozomi's clothing, frowning slightly as she watched over the water where Nozomi dove in.

She tapped her feet impatiently, looking at the sky then back down to the water again.

"Nozomi… are you done yet?" Eli asked but it was no use since Nozomi probably couldn't hear her from under the water.

"Sheesh, how could she stay in the water that long…." She said as she crouched down to try and look into the depths of the water. Despite the name, Pure Love Lens, Eli couldn't actually see what was inside the water, but it sure looked deep as the water looked darker and darker near the bottom.

_Hmm…but more importantly, how could she be so brave to travel in that darkness?_

She thought as she softened the gaze in her eyes.

_I can't be that brave…._

She said again in her mind.

_Even though I've killed over a thousand…._

She smiled bitterly,

_Do they know I'm actually scared?_

She kept wondering,

_Hope not, I do not wish for my enemy to know that I'm afraid… I'm scared that I really have no future other than what I always think I will have…. Even though….someone—who isn't that good either has offered me an option…. But Alas, I don't have to stay with her….do I?_

_I can just escape for myself…_

_No one will know…_

_No one will care…_

She smirked,

_Ah, let's not think about that for now, focus on graduating—for Umi, for Maki… I can't abandon them… I have to set them free before I escape… since, after all, they want it as well…._

_Or actually, does Umi want it too?_

She raised her eyebrow.

_I wonder if she's actually fond to her job…_

_I understand that the galaxy needs someone to protect…._

_But Nozomi is right, we don't have to hold it on our shoulder…._

She sighed weakly,

_Or…maybe she isn't?_

_There are a lot of questions that I have about my life, so much that I can't even keep track of what I'm supposed to feel about it._

Snapping out of the daze, she turned her eyes away from the water to the lush pinkish forest around the lake.

_Put that aside, I wonder if there's anything I can eat around here…_

She got up and walked to the forest, looking around at the bushes and trees, she could see a group of cherry trees blooming beautifully, coloring the area with its nearly perfect petals. Then to the other side, blue bushes growing it's berry-like fruits, purplish red transparent that looked edible giving out a very pleasant aroma.

_Are they edible?_

Eli asked herself as she began to examine it. She picked one of the fruit, rubbing it to her clothes to make sure it's clean enough to be eaten.

She was about to eat it, until she started to doubt her own decision, seeing her own reflection on the fruit.

_To think about it, this is now a world of magic, things like this could be dangerous…. _

She said to herself.

_ Maybe I should ask Nozomi later…._

As the blonde thought she would take long, Nozomi got out from the water—with only her underwear on and an emerald gem on her hand.

"Ericchi…" she called,

Eli turned to her, noticing how the light from the setting sun made the water on Nozomi's smooth porcelain skin glisten an orange shade, her hair damp taking the color of a darker purple, bringing out the those emerald eyes that shone even brighter than the actual gem in hand.

"Check out what I got…" catwalking in a very naughty manner, Nozomi went towards the blonde.

Eli watched her from her toes up to her eyes, wondering why she unexpectedly started to feel attracted towards the approaching purple head.

The blonde decided to ignore her feelings and respond, "So you got it, then is it time to insert it in?"

"Insert it in? You mean… attach it to the glove?" Nozomi said teasingly.

"Yes…." Eli averted her eyes,

"Yup, and it will be fast—but that also means that the glove will be done…."

"Yes….then my job will be done too…"

Nozomi giggled,

"My… are you sad?"

"Of course not…" Eli frowned as she tighten her grip on Nozomi's clothes.

"Why are you not looking at me?"

"It's none of your business! Dry yourself and get clothed already…" Eli held out her hand full of clothes.

Nozomi giggled again amusedly,

"Don't tell me, you are turned on by such things? Ayase…Eli… the person who wants to dominate girls…?"

"Sheesh, you're talking too much…"

"and you need to talk more—it's not good to hold your desire, especially when you're with your lover…"

"We're not lovers…I told you it's already over. I'm just here for responsibility, ok?"

"Responsibility, you keep saying that over and over…. Do you never do what you want?"

"I always do…"

"Nope, don't think so, you're doing things because it's your responsibility…"

"What do you know about me anyway… You're just guessing…"

"And my guesses are right… I'm always right…"

Eli sighed heavily.

"Whatever…."

"Oh Ericchi— you're really stubborn… but anyway, since you've done a lot for me…. I'll grant you anything today…"

"I want to go home…."

"Hmm… I will grant you that later, but, really…. What do you want to do now? In this place… with just the two of us…" Nozomi asked again, Eli still preventing her eyes to come in contact with the beauty in front of her, with all the features she had always wished to feel, trying her best to not give in to the temptation.

"Nothing, just holding your clothes is enough…" she said .

"Hmmm…really?"

"What else do you expect me to do?"

"Did you know that Lake is a spiritual place too? it somewhat gives you a peaceful feeling…"

"Yeah—then I guess I can just, you know, sit and do nothing but breath and look up at the sky…." Eli huffs sarcastically.

"You want to do that…?"

"Yes, if you insist about asking me to do something here…"

"Then let's do that while waiting for me to get…. Dry…." Nozomi said with a mischievous smile.

Eli sighed again before she sat down and did nothing else but look at the sky, unamused.

Nozomi quickly sat next to her, leaning against the blonde's shoulder. Eli, unable to help herself, stole a glance at Nozomi's cleavage, then quickly averted her eyes—clearly showing herself to be very nervous. The naughty purple-haired girl chuckled softly as she carefully trailed her fingers on the resisting girl's thigh, slowly but surely hinting and inviting her to take a closer look, wanting her to give full attention.

Eli quickly tired make distance from her, but to no avail, Nozomi grabbed her,

"Why are you making distance?"

"Because you're wet…."

"Because I'm wet…huh? Doesn't that mean we can skip the lubricating process…?"

Eli blushed madly,

"W-what are you saying! That's not even funny!"

"I'm not trying to be funny though…" she smiled,

Eli began to feel flustered,

"I just want to make you do what you want to do…"

The blonde remained quiet,

"You want me, right? I know you do…"

"You're dishonoring yourself…" she replied,

"I'm not, I'm giving myself to the person who wants me…"

Eli didn't respond for a moment,

"You can't prove it…" she said.

"I can…."

"How?" Eli challenged her,

"Just close your eyes…." Nozomi commanded.

Eli looked at the girl with doubtful eyes,

"Come on, close your eyes…"

After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she finally close gave in,

"Hmm…I suppose you would prefer me to take your left hand, right?" Nozomi asked,

"I don't care…like I know what you want to show anyway…" she said.

Nozomi giggled before she took Eli's left hand and placed it on the soft part of her, leading her hand to explore through the tenderness,

"Can you feel it?"

"Of course…"

"You're touching my cheek …"

Eli couldn't say anything as she could feel her hand being cutely snuggled, then after a while, it trails down to a rougher part, she doesn't know what that might be, but she decided to stay quiet as the warmth overwhelmed her skin,

"Do you want to smell this part?"

"For what?" she asked innocently.

"Never mind that then… but to hint you about it— you can easily strangle me to death if you squeeze it…"

Eli remained quiet,

"That's no fun if you keep quiet …. you should say something…"

"I don't know what to say…."

"Is that so? Then… let's just move on…" Nozomi trailed her hand lower—to a very tough part…"

"Shoulder?" Eli asked,

"You know it— do you always touch this part of others?"

"A lot of times before…"

Nozomi giggled,

"Then, I suppose you won't have any interest on it?"

"I have no idea what this 'interest' thing even means in that sentence, it just feel the same with the others…."

"Ah—then, if I move it here…." Nozomi moved her hand to the softest part of hers.

Eli seems to recognize it.

"Breast…."

"Yup…. You're so clever…. Or is it because you're fond with the sensation of touching it…?"

"It's breast, how could anyone mistake it with anything….?"

"People can mistake it with belly you know…"

"Can't be…. they are very different…"

"For you who has such a wonderful muscle, maybe... but for me…." She trailed her hand down again, letting her to feel her soft belly.

"It's still a lot different, you know….besides—…"

And just before Eli managed to finish her words… Nozomi moved her hand down,

Eli couldn't help but to open her eyes—and she could see her hand, right about to touch to where it's called the most sensitive part of a female,

"What's wrong? Why did you open your eyes?"

"What do you mean 'why', do you think I didn't know where you are trying to lead my hand to?"

"You want to touch it, right?"

"I didn't even think to! You're just trying to make me do it!"

"I am—but I'm doing that because you want it too!"

"I'm not!"

"Then why haven't you moved your hand away?"

Eli frowned as she tried to move her hand away from her, though for some reason she couldn't do it.

Nozomi watched her for a moment,

"What? Are you trying to pretend that you can't move your hand? That's a classic trick!"

"I'm not pretending!"

"That's what every liars say…"

"I'm really not!"

"Then fine—I believe you, I'll move away—…"

As Nozomi was about to make a distance from the blonde, Eli suddenly grabbed her, and pinned her to the ground,

"Ahh!" Nozomi moaned,

"N-Nozomi!" Eli panicked,

"Ericchi! You don't have to be so rough! I'm just trying to move…."

"That wasn't me, I swear!"

"What are you saying? There's only you right here, you and me…"

"But I really didn't do it!"

"Then move away!"

Eli tried, but she couldn't even bring herself to move a muscle, thus staying in place.

"I…I can't!"

"What do you mean you can't? You just have to move!"

"I can't move!"

"Then I'll have to push you!" Nozomi tried to push Eli but it only resulted Eli to grab both of Nozomi's hands and push her down.

"Ahh! Ericchi! Why are you?!"

"It really wasn't me!"

"Let me go!" Nozomi struggled,

"I can't!"

"Why can't you?"

"Because I can't move!"

"You keep saying that as your excuse, truth is, you truly want me, right?"

"No! it's not like that!"

"Liar! Then let me go!"

"I told you I can't!"

"Ericchi!"

"I really can't move, damn it!"

"Stop that already, if you really want it, then just do it, trying to make up excuses like a coward will not help you!"

"I'm not trying to make up an excuse!"

"You can't prove it!"

Eli was about to retort but the word were stuck in her throat, not being able to come up with anything,

"See…? You're the one who can't prove yourself that you don't want me…"

"What kind of bullshit is that?"

"You're the one who has been bullshitting me!"

"Put the spell off me!"

"What spell?! I don't know what are you talking about!"

"This is a work of magic, right?!"

"Are you trying to blame magic now? Should I blame your mechanic arm as well because it might be malfunctioning?"

"It can't be!"

"Oh? So you think your technology is perfect, huh?"

"No, it's not like that!"

"Tsk! Put that aside! Just let me go!" Nozomi give her another push, yet Eli only continued to pin her down, locking the latter girl's wrist with her right hand.

"Ericchi!"

"It really wasn't me!"

"It's your hands! Do I have to make it clear?!"

"It is, but I really didn't move it!"

"Fine…I believe you… but what are you planning to do to me now?"

"I….I don't know…"

"Then, take a deep breath now…and think once again about what you want to do to me… with all these settings…"

Eli sighed softly,

"Please help me, I really not trying to do all this…"

"And if I can help you..?"

"I'll treat you…."

"What kind of treat?"

"Anything… anything you ask…"

"Then, let's go back a little, I want you to take me to space, can you do that…?"

"Fine…."

"Promise?"

"I promise…."

"No terms and condition?"

"No…."

"Good, then next, stay calm….. don't panic…. I'm going to help you dispell it…"

"How…?"

Nozomi giggled,

"Let me kiss you…"

"Huh? Is this a trick?!"

"Just, let me do it…and you'll break free…"

"Very suspicious…."

"Just trust me, it will work…" Nozomi smiled

Eli sighed,

"I can't even move my head to you and look, I'm holding you right now…"

"Then, close your eyes…."

Eli closed her eyes,

"Alright, then I'll give you a little push, so don't panic, ok? It will be quick…"

Eli remained quiet as she waited for her,

Nozomi smiled mischievously as she gently pushed her–slowly closing the gap between their lips. Without the knowledge of the blonde, Nozomi, with the tips of her fingers resting in between Eli's chest, slowly pushed her down, switching places so the purplenette was on top.

As Nozomi kept on closing the gap, she started to unleash herself from the grab—at ease. Then carefully trailed her hands around the helpless beauty under her,

"Nozomi?" Eli flustered,

"Hmmm…?" she stopped, her lips right in front of hers,

"Why is it taking so long?"

"I need to do a little…ritual… before that….be patient…"

"I starting to feel like you're just lying…"

"I'm telling you the truth, I'll dispell it at once…"

"Really? Then why are you groping me?"

"Just relax…. But anyway, I'm wondering, how did it feel when I said I don't believe you...?"

"Is this your way to make me feel sad because you didn't believe me that I'm telling the truth?"

"I was just asking, you're being over sensitive…"

"Then my reply would be that, I don't care if you don't believe me, just as long as you know that whatever happens, I'm going to be responsible… I'm not a person who runs away from my responsibilities, yet you also have to know that whatever you're planning to, please just make sure to keep yourself away from my life…"

"What if I want your life….? As in, I want to be in it…"

"No, you don't want it… and remember, the deal was to only take you to space, so you better keep yourself away from me when you're there…"

"But your life seems to feel like a place I can play on…. It seems fun…."

"No, it's not…"

"I want you to be mine and I want to be yours… can't you tell?"

"You've told me that…"

"Oh- I'm sure I did, but really, how long will you try to resist me?" Nozomi busied herself with carefully taking off Eli's clothes, swiftly working her hands to undo the buttons.

"What are you doing now?" Eli began to feel a lot more suspicious.

"Taking off your clothes, I need to see your body to make sure the spell is gone…"

"You haven't even kissed me!"

"That's the last part of the ritual, just be quiet and trust me that I'll remove it, ok?"

"Fine…"

Nozomi giggled before she genlty pulled down Eli's bra, as she massaged the clueless girl's breast,

"Does it feel good?"

"What is this now, part of the ritual?"

"Yup…sort of…" she smiled as she kept at it—then continued to trail her fingers through the gentle, pale skin down to her thigh,

"I get the feeling you're actually harassing me now…"

"No, it's called examining you…."

"Right….."

"Don't worry, there will be nothing 'inserted' before you know it…."

"I swear, once you break this spell, I'll make sure you get what you deserve…"

Nozomi giggled to it,

"Ah? A revenge? That would be fun…."

"Yes, don't think that I'll just stay quiet about it…"

"Well, if that's the case then, I'm going to take the pleasure from you a bit so that you would pay back the same or even more…." Nozomi playfully drew circles on the blonde's inner thigh slowly bringing up her fingers. Although Eli was still dressed In her trousers, the touch made her feel tense

"Nozomi!" She panicked,

"Don't panic, I'm just travelling here…" she said, popping out the one button that kept the trouser in place and started to pull it down.

Eli tried her best to break out on her own, though for some reason, her muscles wouldn't react, she was completely paralyzed from neck down, and all Nozomi did was smile knowlingly with amusement, at the futile attempt.

Uncontrollably, Eli started to embrace the girl on top of her tightly. Unknowingly Eli tried to retort but she found no voice, she couldn't bring herself to talk as her lips wouldn't part, she tried to pull her head back, but now even that was under Nozomi's control and she knew it,

_I knew it… this is her doing too…_

Eli's subconscious spoke while her body unconsciously did as the latter wanted. The blonde's pink lips trailed down Nozomi's neck, leaving soft kisses ,

"My… naughty-naughty Ericchi…" Nozomi mused.

As much as Eli wanted to respond, she couldn't with her lips being controlled to explore the surface of Nozomi's skin.

"You're such a liar, you know that. You can't even tell your own feeling, you can't even save yourself from your own troubles, and you can't even keep your promises towards the person who passionately wants you… and will care about you…. instead, you're just doing what everyone calls as a resonsibility! What a Loser!"

By then Eli started to slowly run her warm tongue over the latters neck

"Look at you now, you're all over me, you enjoy me, right?"

The blonde due to not being able to respond, stayed quiet, as her hands rubbed the girl above her, pressing her body close against hers

"You don't have to make a distance! You don't have to be shy to admit that you want me… I'll always be there for you… because you truly need me, right?"

Eli put her hands on Nozomi's back and began to roll until she was the one to stradle the purple-head, her hands gently trailing up to her breasts, massaging them as her face leaned down to suck at its pink tips.

"My, going for your favorite part of me now… what a pervert…"

_This is you that you're talking about! Damn it! I'm not that perverted!_

She thought as her hands began to travel down to her core, rubbing it gently againts the soaked underwear.

"Don't worry, I'm enjoying this too, and I admit I love how you do it—it just like what I want…"

_Because this is actually what you want! I'm not doing anything!_

"but I hope you don't abandon me after doing all this …. As you said a while back, you'll be responsible, right?"

_So that's your plan!_

"because, I won't be this submissive without your promise…"

_You're really working up so hard to make me do this!_

"….and I'm happy you've finally decided to do this to satisfy this lonely girl who's scared of losing someone…"

_Oh?_

"I'm sick of being villainized, I'm sick of being not listened to, and I'm sick of being responsible for things that I'm not supposed to be responsible with. I'm sick of living alone, I'm sick of being backstabbed, and I'm sick of caring about a person who doesn't even care about me…"

_If you're talking about your friends, you're wrong, they care about you…_

"They keep telling me what to do—but they don't have any idea about what I want to do… they keep complaining about what I did, but they never have the will to understand what I trully meant. Until I realized that I should just be what they always see me as, so it will no longer be hurt me to be judged as what I'm not… "

_To be judged as what you're not…huh?_

"I'm sick of them! They act all mighty! They act like I'm the only baby that needs to be pampered! They act like they're all a lot more mature than I! They act like they know better than me! They act like I'm ignorant! They act like I don't have feelings!"

_Are you seriously ranting all that while I'm doing this to you?!_

Eli tried her best to talk though she couldn't as she could no longer control herself. She began to prod her finger against her known to be lover's core, she could feel it hardening, yet she still doesn't know how she bluntly touched that part—a part that she never expected to ever touch from others.

"But—ah! It feels so good to finally have someone who is willing to love me for who I am—until she suddenly prefered to do favors for those people instead of choosing me, it makes me really jealous! It makes me scared! I don't want to lose this person to they who don't even value her!"

"They don't know about us! I don't want you to work hard for them! Please just care about me now! Because I will care about you too! I've done a lot for you! I've tried to act like how I always want to be for you! I've lied to them for you! I've made you promise to take me away from them so that you can have me all for yourself…"

_This is painful! I'm doing something that I'm not even trying to do and I can't even respond to her!_

"….and I've made you into my puppet… so you can stop caring about them!"

_And I'm not going to let you just do that!_

Nozomi giggled as she enjoys Eli's touches—done by her will.

"I'm amazing, right? To have a strong soldier like you as my puppet… it would feel like having a very strong familiar…."

Eli tried her best to break free from the spell—even though she didn't know how to do so. She gathered all her will power and tried to move on her own, despite her hands just kept doing what it was controlled to,

"Maybe you're even stronger than the strongest? Who knows!"

Eli kept struggling until she managed to stop her hands in place, no longer proding Nozomi;s core as she was controlled to do. And this didn't go unnoticed by the said girl.

"Your resistance is futile, Ericchi…" she giggled,

"Stop lying to yourself… you want me and everybody knows that… it's no more a secret."

_Very Funny…_

"You don't need to sweat it, if anyone see us like this, I'm not going to tell them that you are raping me—I'm going to tell them that you're making love with me…."

"and If you truly love me, you don't need to worry if I don't love you back… because even if it's not love, I'll never abandon you, I'll take care of you…I'll be loyal to you… as long as you don't try to cheat on me again, I'll never harm you."

Eli fought back with all her will power to the point where she started to tremble, resisting the unheard demands while trying to overpower them with her own. After a while of struggling she felt something warm up inside her, and spread through her whole body, slowly cracking unseen dents on the spell,

Nozomi widen her eyes,

"What….?!"

As it fully cracked, light started to shine out of the blonde, contracting then expanding out of her as it completely shattered the spell and turn into unseen dust. Eli found herself catching her break, it was exhausting but she did it.

"H-How could you-…You're not a mage…"

"Maybe I don't need to be a mage to break a spell…." Eli replied as she grinned at her own victory,

Nozomi began to panic and tried to shove Eli away, but she quickly grabbed both of her hands and pushed her to the ground,

"Look at you, all frantic after everything you made me do…" Eli frowned,

Nozomi couldn't respond—now it was her turn to struggle, she tried to charge a spell, though Eli distracted her as she squeezed her hand roughly.

"But put that aside, I want to respond to your little rant…" she said.

"I don't need your pretty lecture or your good-hearted bullshit…"

"Who do you think I am? Umi? I'm not her and she isn't me…"

"What's the difference, both of you listen to what everyone has to say and both of you do your things because it's your responsibility—and I already know what you will say, you're probably going to tell me that I'm a villain, a bastard who tried too hard to get what I want, then the other thing you'll say is that all deals are abolished because I'm breaking the rule…"

"No, I didn't even say that…."

"Then what? I'm such a baby that need to be pampered by everyone?"

"No…."

"I'm such a slattern for offering my body to you?"

"More like a rapist… but look, Nozomi….I understand you…."

"What do you understand about me? You always lied about you understanding me!"

"I understand you and you're the one who is misunderstand things!"

"What do I misunderstand? You're thinking that you're responsible for everyone's safety and you are working hard to reach it, and I said—I don't want that!"

"Well, alright, you got that right, but look at you! You're spitting out all the blame on me—but you're actually trying to tell that to yourself, right?!"

"You knew that already beacause you did that too! Yet you acted like you're not! You're a liar!"

"You're the liar! You blame me for what you're doing! You're the coward!"

"See? You don't understand my pain at all! Ericchi is an idiot!"

Eli sighed heavily,

"This will be endless…."

Nozomi started to cry again, Eli softened her gaze,

"Let me go now! Idiot!" She shoved the blonde away from her—though instead of moving, Eli pulled Nozomi into a tight hug as she sat on her lap,

"Why are you hugging me now?"

"Because I want to…."

"I lost my mood! Let me go!"

"Nope… you're not going anywhere…"

"I said—.." Nozomi tried to push her,

"Let me go, idiot!"

"No I'm not!"

"I already lost my mood! Are you trying to force me now?!"

"No, I'm just not going to let you go until you cry as hard as you want…"

"Why would I cry?!"

"Because it's a lot better if you let it go…. Right?"

Nozomi remained quiet,

"It's okay to look weak…. You've told me before that we'll be true with each other, right? Then cry now, cry about everything you felt…. And if you want to hit me now, hit me… show your trueself to me… this is what you want, right?"

And just before anything, Nozomi already done in one rough hit to Eli's face,

"Idiot!" she yelled,

"That's about right…" Eli chuckled,

Then another hit on her face.

Eli didn't reply for the second hit, until she turned her eyes to her and smiled gently.

As Nozomi panted after expressing her anger, tears started to rain down from her eyes, to her flushed face, it didn't take long until—

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa! Ericchi is an idioooooooottttt!"

* * *

The camp site, night time;

Kotori started to walk around the camp, her face all pale while Honoka rested on her back along with Umi on her side, as both looked very exhausted,

"Uhnn…Nozomi-chan still hasn't returned yet…." Kotori said worriedly.

"She went with Eli, so they probably are going to explore around… Eli is pretty adventurous herself…" Umi said calmly.

"Yeah… Just let them be…." Honoka pitched in.

"Uuhhh….Okay…"

"Beside, Niko and Maki might see them while searching for Rin and Hanayo…" the blunette glanced at the ash-brunette then looked back up at the sky,

"Yup, and I'm sure Niko-chan will find them, she is good at searching…"

"I hope you're right then…."

"But hey, speaking of which, Umi-chan! Have you ever wish to be born as someone else?"

"Huh? What is with that question all of a sudden?"

"Hehe, I'm just asking, because Tsubasa-chan asked me that a while back…."

"Well then, the answer is no, because I'm already born as who I am right now… so whatever happen to me is what supposed to be happen— it might not be as perfect as what I strive for, but it's exciting to try and be perfect, and when we fail, we just have to try again in a later time…"

"I see! Then, Uh, Kotori-chan! Have you ever wished that?"

"Hmm….have I? huh? Well… I do have thoughts about who I want to be…—maybe I wish to be able to be born as Kayo-chan… or Nozomi-chan?"

"Why?"

"Because… I feel like they both live without worry, Kayo-chan is so calm while Nozomi-chan is just care free… it's like she ignored all the pain and kept moving on her own pace… if I were to be in her shoes, I would be crying so hard by then…"

"Then perhaps it's not that you want to be born as them—it's more like, you want to be as tough as her…" Umi concluded.

"Ah—uhmn… yeah…."

"Yup, it sounds like that…" Honoka nodded.

"But …seriously, I only know a little about her— and yet I could feel all the pain that she might've gone through on her own… she is a very strong woman… but violent… and she constantly kept me busy because of all the troubles she caused…"

"Well, if you decided to get in her troubles, then that would be your own fault—but again, I understand how you feel…." Umi said.

"Hehe, yup, I know… I found that to be my responsibility too… since, again we're like sisters…"

"Is that so? Then I feel like, me, Eli, and Maki are like brothers— we can't be called as sisters since we never actually act sisterly but brotherly against each other…"

"What's the difference?" Honoka asked.

"A lot of things, but if this may help you to understand, we're open about everything and we deal with our own problems, we only ask for help when we're really in need of it— we never actually talk about each other behind their backs, when we have problems, we confront them directly, if it can be solved, then we try to resolve it, and if not, we drop the topic and think as thought it never happened before… it's fun to have something like that…. instead of all the girly stuff that other females do with each other…" Umi explained.

"Girly stuff….? Are you not a girl?" Honoka asked.

"We are females, yes, but we just don't act like them…. not really"

"Uh…but…. what exactly is acting like a female…?"

"Maybe she is talking about the stereotype…." Kotori said.

"Stereotypes?"

"Yes, like, acting like most females…"

"Uhm…like…acting like how females judge other? Because, really, I don't understand the idea of acting like a female at this case, nor acting like a male…? I mean….what's the difference? Don't people always act the way they are?"

"Well…not everyone acts the way they want to be, some of them–act like how they are supposed to be…" Umi replied.

"Act like how they supposed to be? But, who made the rule?"

"The society made the rule… but in all honesty, Honoka, I was like that back then…and still sometimes like that now… to act like what we supposed to be is a lot safer for us—because we will be accepted by society, though, to act like how we're supposed to be is like lying to ourselves… and we keep lying until it becomes an unwanted truth…"

"But, I've heard this from Tsubasa-chan, we cannot please the society no matter what? They will always complain and complain… so… is it really wise to act like how they want us to be?"

"Of course it is not—but put it this way, people always judge—not all but most of them do. They judge by the actions done in front of their eyes… and they will react to it either negatively or positively…and then in the most painful way—they deliver their message towards who they judge, sometimes it's just not what actually happened but instead just something that happen to be caught by their eyes… and for the judged, it just would be a lot more less painful if they acted like how they're judged as…."

Kotori seemed to realize something. Though she kept quiet,

"But….why is it going like that?"

"Because it hurts to be judged as what we're not… and for them, they only have two choices, to prove that they're not or to make the society be sure about what they judge… A lot of people use this fact to hide themselves, like Maki—who is too shy to act like how she actually want…though she made a new personality to cover her trueself…"

"Say though, Umi-chan, when you're fighting with Eli-chan, what did you say?" Kotori asked.

"The only thing I don't understand from Eli is her reason, so I always ask for why instead of telling her what I see her as. We all already know who she is…but then at times, she is just unsocialable and sometimes starts to act like a total douchebag…but alas, we all have that side—sometimes it could be my fault too. I'm asking too much until it feels like I'm trying to pry into her business. We really shouldn't go that far…"

"Uhn..but…what if something happens to her? Are you going to worry?" she asked again.

"Of course I will worry, but maybe your question should've been, will I do something about it? If that's the question, then I'll say, yes, I'll do something but I prefer to wait until they actually need my help— because in the end, we all have to face our own troubles in life…and everyone needs to learn how to deal with it on their own, plus, don't you feel happier to be able to resolve your own problems?"

"Ohh! Well, yes! It's like we are mature…"

"Exactly…but then, again, I would also understand that some would act like a child throwing a tantrum, and some just can't stand it… then at times, we have to say it louder about how they act like to make them start trying to be better…. Even though it's not the truth…" Umi averted her eyes,

"Uh? You mean, like hurting them where it hurts, is sometimes necessary?"

"Yes… because pain make us understand, even though it will still take time, it will eventually be working in someone's life… sometimes someone has to be broken first to realize, and sometime someone doesn't have to be…"

Umi said before she sighed heavily,

"Hnn…what's wrong, Umi-chan?" Honoka asked.

"Nothing…I was just hoping someone can do something about something…."

"Humm…do something about something…?"

"It's nothing, never mind, sorry to confuse you…"

* * *

The Pure Love Lens Lake, Night Time;

Nozomi sobbed quietly as she hugged Eli, already calmed down from her loud cries. Eli sat quiet in place, gently stroking her fingers throught the latters hair,

"Better now?" Eli asked,

Nozomi nodded,

"Harasho…."

"But I'm not satified yet! I want you to entertain me now!" the cute girl puffed her cheek, while wiping away the rest of her tears,

Eli giggled before she gently pushed herself against the girl and pressed her lips against Nozomi's—which caused her to widen her eyes and stare at the blonde's azure eyes quietly,

"That's it?" Nozomi asked,

"Expecting me to treat you further?"

"Of course!"

"Then you better be really prepared, ok?"

"I've been prepared about this! You promised me to show me too!"

"Yup, but this time, it won't be just lust, it will be love as well…"

"Look at you! Suddenly talking bullshit about love, do you really love?"

Eli giggled,

"Do I really? Well I don't know…"

"I really don't care if it's love or not, I'm just curious…ok?"

"You don't know? then it's not love, right?"

"I don't know about that either, but there is this feeling…a feeling where I really want to give you everything to make you happy…"

"Fine, but enough with the talk, Ericchi! I know the next thing you'll do is bite my nose…"

"You're still angry about that…"

"It's because Ericchi is such a total idiot! We could've kissed that time but you bit me!"

"You were so cute, I couldn't help it…"

"Excuses!" she crossed her arms and began to pout more,

"There now, I already kissed you for real just now…"

And just a second later, Nozomi pressed her lips against Eli's as she cupped both of her cheeks in hand—this time Nozomi tried to enter inside her lips with her tongue. Knowing what she wished for, Eli started to play along with her, granting her entrance to enter the mouth with her tongue, as the blonde herself pushed closer to deepen their kisses

Eli, at her own will, pushed Nozomi to the groud, gently brushing her hands against the smooth spotless skin under her. Carefully trailing her hands up to her favorite part, the blonde began to massage it while teasing its pink tips with her thumb.

Nozomi felt her face slowly heat up, breaking away from the kiss, to look into the sapphire eyes above her,

"Ericchi—That feels good…"

"Better than how you want it?"

"Yes…" her blush getting redder,

"That's how life is supposed to be, it doesn't have to be how you want it… sometimes it's better sometime it's worse…"

"I hardly get surprised—so, I like it when you surprise me…."

Eli giggled,

"Then, let me surprise you even more…"

The blonde brought her head down to Nozomi's breasts and began to gently lick at her nipples , brushing her wet tongue against it in a circling motion, sometimes even sucking on it as it hardened and the same process was done with the other. Nozomi felt herself getting pulled out of her mind as blood rushed through her body like fire, making her unconsciously moan in pleasure.

Eli started to explore the emerald eyed girl's softest part with her tongue and with her hands curiously, then from time to time, she pressed her lips on her lips, then moved to her neck.

Nozomi started to move her legs as it started to tense,

"E-Ericchi!" she called,

"Hmm?" she responded as she kept on doing her,

"When will you touch me in the other part already?! It has been waiting, you know!"

Eli giggled again,

"I know…I know… but let me enjoy my favorite part a litte more, ok?"

"If you keep that, you'll get bored soon…"

"then…"

The blonde sat up, turning Nozomi around then placing her on the lap. While groping the latters breasts with her right, the left hand slid down to her groin,

"There… everyone wins…"

She said as she started to rub her fingers very gently against the wet core.

"Hmm…you're soaked, but not enough…." She said before Eli started to kiss the back of the purple-head's neck—which tickled Nozomi and drove her to quickly grab Eli's metal arm which held her breast. She moaned as everything she called as pleasure were done to her.

Although the metal arm was clearly the tough part of Eli, she could feel it gently massaging her, a lot more gentle than how she imagined it to be. But what made her happy wasn't just the gentleness, it was the sensation it gave, which felt completely different from her warm left arm.

No matter how hard she squeezed, it won't break—and Eli will not know about how excited she is, or at least that's what Nozomi believed as she gripped on it while her other part was being treated so nicely. She can't believe it's a lot better than what she had expected it to be, she can't belive herself to feel what she is feeling right now.

"You know Ericchi, since I met you…."

She paused as a moan escaped from her lips,

"I always imagined myself to touch you, I wanted to harass you as bad as possible so that you lost your pride…"

She moaned again,

"but I change my mind now—maybe it's a lot better if you're the one to touch me… since you seem to be an expert at this…."

"This is my first time…" Eli replied as she prodded her fingers into her lover's hollow.

"Really? Then I guess buying and watching all those erotic movies didn't go waste, huh?"

"Actually, that wasn't actually mine—I got that from my locker, someone must've sent it to me.."

"Hmm…someone send you erotic movies, what do they expect from you?"

"I don't know… but I enjoyed it… so I can't complain…"

"Do you enjoy to be the one who gives or gets pleasure?"

"Either…."

Nozomi giggled before she forced herself to turn around and push her carefully—placing herself on top of her,

"Then let me pleasure you this time while we make ourselves 'slippery' enough…"

Eli giggled,

"Slippery…like an eel?"

"Pretty much, if I can cover your whole body with liquids…" Nozomi giggled,

"Kinky…" Eli chuckled as her hands placed on her favorite part,

Nozomi took Eli's left hand and put two of her fingers into her mouth as she began to brush her groin against hers,

Eli swore that she has never imagined to be able to see that sight in her life, she could feel something inside her make her want to grab her—though she knows it would be too rough of her to do so.

She admire every single inch of her soft skin, her beautiful purple hair that she let down as she took off her hair accessories, then her wonderful body shape that she always loved which started to sweat as she moved faster.

She carefully took a venture on her curves—which could've been a lot more beautiful if she went on a diet. Now that she remembered — she believed her main reason, or let's say her true reason to make her go on a diet was because she wanted to see her beautiful shape come out and for her to be healthy.

She wanted to keep Nozomi for herself—one day when she managed to escape from her responsibilities completely. She always liked her—and wanted her, but what can she do if she wanted to go to the dangerous place she always knew about? That surely will be something she shouldn't think about right now. The person that attracts her is facing right in front of her—the person that she thought to leave for the best, the person that just cried right in front of her so loudly and begged her to never leave her alone.

Is it horrible of her to do that or was it really for the best? She will never know and alas, she started to think once again. Which one is better, to keep someone safe or to keep someone happy? What is a lot more important in life and which one is wiser if she can only choose one?

"Ericchi…" Nozomi called her—taking her out of her thoughts.

"Where are you looking at?" she asked,

"Sorry…." Eli said as she return her focus back to the girl that was currently loving her,

"Why did you get distracted, am I not attractive enough?"

"No…you look really good, it just that….I….got a little problem on my head…"

"Is it about our relationship right now?"

"Not quite…."

"Then tell me before I start assuming…"

Eli was quiet for a moment, then she shook her head,

"No, let's not talk about that right now… this is our very first time, I don't want to ruin it…."

"Why did you even willingly start this if you can't enjoy it? I don't want to be the only one who enjoy this…"

"Sorry….I….I'll try to enjoy it, ok?"

"You don't try to enjoy, silly, you just enjoy…"

Nozomi sighed before she bent down and look at her closely,

"Ericchi…." she called,

Eli remained quiet as her eyes glacing down to the cleavage that pressed against her, then back up to her emerald eyes,

"Listen….You were the one who started this—I know you did it because you want to make me feel better after all that crying, but I don't want to be the only one, ok? Because, like I said before, I want to make it fair…. And it's no longer because I want you… It's because I want to do this with you…. got it?"

"I knew that…"

"Then stop thinking, just do me…."

Eli nodded as she began to look at her couple, already right in front of her, trying her best to give her a pleasure that she had never felt before. It is amazing—but something is still missing… and she doesn't know what that actually is.

Eli also began to wonder, how it could start out to be so much fun? How could it feel so good when her partner touched her? As she felt her own fingers gently brush against her mate's core, she couldn't do anything else but to listen to Nozomi's moan and feeling the grip on her right arm tightly—very tightly.

It turned her on as she also joined to moan with her—especially at the time when she placed her core against hers and started to rub them against each others. She knew it's called scissoring because that is what she often saw in the movie that she used to watch alone,

She never actually understood that until she started to feel it for herself—it's a lot more different than the time when she touched her own body while imagining herself to do it with random cute girls. Now that she has someone that she can do it with, she started to wonder, if she acted like how she did it in her imagination….will she react like her imagination?

That surely be something to try in her first time,

She quickly grabbed Nozomi shoulder tightlt. The purple haired girl was so surprised—she was in the middle of enjoying her core rubbbing against hers,

Eli smiled mischievously,

"I want to try something…." she pushed her down as she placed her right hand on her neck,

"Ericchi, what are you—..."

Before Nozomi could ask, Eli penetrated two of her left fingers deep inside her hollow.

"—Ah! Ericchi! it hurts!"

Maybe it was just a selfish desire but the blonde kept at it, sliding her fingers in and out roughly.

"Who told you you can play it rough, huh?! Be Gentle!" Nozomi yelled

Eli didn't loook like she was listening—she is too focused on looking at the purplenette's expression, the similar expression with the one that she had imagined,

"If you continue doing that, I'll make you pay!"

The blonde completely disregards her,

Nozomi tried to free herself as she tried to push Eli's right hand off her, but she was too strong for her—so she decided to aim a wind ball magic to her face—but before she was able to cast it, Eli grabbed both of her hands with her right hand.

Now that the girl under was unable to fight back, Eli started to play her fingers inside Nozomi while teasing her core with her thumb, filling the girl with ectasy beyond her imagination, as she moaned non-stop.

"I'm—ah—ah! I'm not going to lose—AH!" Nozomi struggled as she could feel something about to come out from her while her fingers penetrated her faster and faster, at the other part of her body, she could feel her back brush against the rough ground—she swears she will really have to take a real bath and perhaps some medicine to recover her scraped skin—she just didn't expect to get it from that act.

"Ahn —ah—Idiot!" she shouted as hot liquid poured out of her, Eli slowly took her fingers out as the sticky liquid covered her fingers completely,

"Ericchi…. you.." she frowned before something suddenly started to glow from her hand—it's like she enhanced something in her body, then she quickly grabbed Eli's neck and her other hand at the lower part—the same as how Eli did it before,

"You'll pay for that!" She pushed her down before she penetrated her fingers inside her—causing Eli to moan slightly as she began to slide it in and out very roughly,

"Wh-whoa?! Don't use magic—Ah!"

"I wouldn't if you're not seeking trouble with me!"

"Nozomi!" Eli begged as she couldn't move herself out from her grip, but she felt the heat and heard the sounds of her hollow being penetrated so quickly and deeply.

As Eli felt the grip loosening, she took that chance to turn the situation, she roughly pushed Nozomi down once more, this time, grabbing both of her legs and lifting them both up to her shoulders and pulling the girl's core closer to her mouth as she used her warm tongue to lick her aggressively, causing the mage to moan loudly.

Nozomi in her defense—she didn't start it, but in her deepest thought, she truly enjoyed this one. She really love how her tongue played in, she also loved the way the blood rushed all over her body with every stroke, and the best part for her is when she looks down to see how serious her lover's face looked while doing it.

Entertained by her looks, she reached out her hand to the back of the blonde's head, pulling it closer against her core to let Eli penetrate her slippery tongue deeper inside her entrance. Using one hand to rub at her own core to increase the amount of pleasure running through her hot body.

Understanding the act, Eli began to treat her couple part with her fingers as well as, the odor somewhat make her feel addicted. She wanted to keep her scent near her as she twitched her tongue in,

But deep in her thoughts what more important than that is, the lingering feeling of something missing from them, despite their condition, despite their situation and despite everything that they have done,

But what is it that's missing from them?

Why does makes her feel unsatisfied with this? She is now with her dream girl—and she is now being so intimate with her even though it turned out to be awkward. Maybe they're just lacking skills because it is their first time? That surely would be something to consider.

As Eli parted from the core, transparent liquid drops from her mouth as she placed her mate back down, she glanced at the purple-head who seemed to be so exhausted after all the moan she did while her small being treated. Eli wondered if it meant that she did it nicely or it just mean that she is too aggressive on her.

"Why did you stop?!" Nozomi said before she sat up and grabbed Eli's head,

Before Eli had a to react, Nozomi pushed her down and pinned her with her legs, placing her core on her mouth as she started to rub herself on her,

"I didn't tell you to stop! Idiot!" she yelled,

Having no choice, she decided to go along with her demand as she listened to the moans that turned her on. She held her with both of her hands while she tighly gripped her right hand again,

She wonder if people would see them doing this right now—she knows it's outdoors but alas, Nozomi seemed to be not care about it.

She went crazy this time—and very sure that she have no space to rest as she demanded so selfishly to her.

* * *

At the other side,

Hanayo, Rin, Niko and Maki met up with each other. Rin already folded the flying carpet very neatly,

"Niko-chan! It works very nicely-nya!" Rin said.

"You should've told me that you went to test it before! Sheesh!"

"Hehe, I'm sorry-nya!"

"Heh—at least we know the flying carpet works perfectly, just hope it can fly your ship too…" Maki said.

"Of course, besides, Eli already designed us the ship with a lot more effective design. I'm very sure it will fly…"

"Of course it will fly and of course it's effective..plus it will be a lot tougher than your previous ship, but remember that it still has weight limit…"

"I will remember that, don't worry!"

"How much is the weight limit-nya?" Rin asked,

"Uh…ahh…..uhmmmm…..5000kg?" Niko replied doubtfuly,

"Wrong…it's only 2500kg right now, 3000 kg at max, if you want to double it, you should either make another flying carpet or get a booster…. I would recommend you the booster instead of the carpet, so if it gets torn, you won't just fall…" Maki said.

"Eh but they're expensive-nya…"

"Yes, but it's a lot more defensive than the flying carpet… and you can overclock it for emergency…" Maki replied.

"Proves that cyber technology has its own powers and uses too…" Hanayo said.

"Huh—well, yeah…" Maki shyly scratched her head,

"Hmmm—Maki-chan is so shy-nya!" Rin said teasingly,

"Geez…. Anyway, we should go back it's already late…"

"Oh—speaking of which though, I think Kotori also asked me to look for Nozomi and Eli as well…. I wonder where they have gone to?" Hanayo asked.

"Maybe they're just having their own fun-nya!"

"Like what? Mining?" Niko asked.

"Mining?" Maki wondered,

"Yup, mining, I think they're going to the lake, so mining is the only thing that can be done there…"

"Oh—I suppose Nozomi would still want Eli to pay her for the mess in her workshop, yeah?" Maki said.

"Yeah…." Niko said.

"What are they mining though-nya?"

"A lot of things can be mined in the lake since no one has ever touch that place…" Niko said.

"No one? Does that mean no one wants the thing that can be mined there?" Maki asked.

"Nope, maybe it just because the mine is hard to reach-nya!"

"Hard to reach?"

"Yup, because the mine is underwater and that's the only thing I know-nya…"

"Yeah—and there's some kind of spell too…" Hanayo said.

"Oh—right! Kayo-chin went there with Kotori-chan and Honoka-chan!"

"Yup, we were told that we can only have an hour to get the emerald down there before we returned back up to the surface by the spell. We got two emeralds,one for Nozomi-chan and one for Maki-chan…" Hanayo said.

"W-what? For me?" Maki flustered,

"Yup, you said you wanted to make a weapon, right? Then that one would be very useful for you… I'm sure Eli-chan can exploit its use while you use your magic since the other two might not be able to use it…" Hanayo said.

"Huh? Why can't the other two use magic?" Niko asked.

"Uh? Because…they don't have mage blood like Maki-chan?" Hanayo replied.

"What are you saying, everyone have magic in their blood…" Niko said.

"That can't be, we always knew that magic only existed in those who are chosen…"

"No way, magic exists everyone's soul… in every human soul…it just about when or how they figure it out…" Niko said.

"Where did you get that theory?" Hanayo asked.

"My father…"

"Oh—uhm..well, Niko-chan… everyone believed that only they who have mage blood can cast magic…"

"Nope, but anyway, let's not argue about that, I just believe that everyone have magic no matter where they come from… it's the same with technologies, everyone can learn—it just about if they want to do it or not…So either way, you can't convince me otherwise!"

Hanayo smiled at her,

"Alright then, but… honestly, I think I like that concept a lot more than the one that everyone normally believes in…"

"Of course—if only people see that concept, the earth and Terra would've never separated with each other to begin with…"

Hanayo giggled,

"Yeah…you're right.. Niko-chan…" she said.

"Now-now, let's go look for those two… then if they're digging, we should go ahead and join them…"

"Four of us?" Maki asked,

"Of course—you're the strongest between us too, so don't just bail out now"

"Huh? Alright…."

"Do they want us to join them though-nya?"

"Heh—they shouldn't mind since we're helping them, right? Then if they don't want us to join, then we should just call it as our own mission…" Niko said as she started to walk away.

"Ok-nya!" Rin agreed and followed cheerfully.

"Mission…huh? Way to say it…"Maki said as she followed after the others.

* * *

The Pure Love Lens Lake, Night time;

Eli stood up as she carried Nozomi on her right arm while her left hand penetrated her,

"Oh—you're so good at this, but I will not lose to you!" Nozomi appreciated as she held herself on Eli's shoulder and the other hand holding her own leg up,

"You're great at kissing, if that makes you happy…" Eli said.

"Is that your way to ask for kisses?"

"Maybe…"

And with that—Nozomi pressed her lips against hers, playing with each other's tongues, trailing down to each other necks from time to time as well while Eli lets her to turn around—locking her with her legs as she supported her with her arms. They deepen their kisses more and more.

"Ericchi—uhmmn…" she paused as she pressed her lips and inserted her tongue into her lover's mouth.

"hn…you can just hold me with your right hand while your left hand keep digging… I'll hold you tight…" she said as she embraced her tighter,

"Ah—mm…—I'm close to my limit…" she said again before she aggressively pushes herself while she could feel Eli started to grope around her core, looking for the entrance,

"Dig it already!" she demanded selfishly again,

As the tentative finger penetrated in, they kisses each other again and began to tighten their embrace with each other. While the fingers eventually hasten—and everything else tensing,

"Hmmn..Nozomi—I…I'm at my—…."

And as the two could feel something is about to reach out—

"Aha—gotchu digging wealth—…" Niko jumps out of the bush,

"Oh…." Niko awkwardly realized that she jumped in at very wrong time….

Eli and Nozomi turned towards her .

Niko awkwardly remained quiet in place unable to take her eyes off the two as her complexion turned red in embarassment….

"Niko….! Don't just run all so sudden!" A voice called out from the distant…

"Niko-chaaaann!" another familiar voice called out.

Realizing Niko quickly turned around and yelled….

"W-whoa?! Don't come here! ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSION!"

* * *

**ABOOOOORTTTT!**

**Ok, that's it for now. Then lol, I'm still busy, but anyway wish me luck with my assignment too!**

**Gonna take a while for the next since i have deadline at 24/03, **

**and about endings, I'll have 2 endings as always for NozoEri Fan Fiction that I made, You can call it Good Ending and Bad Ending as always too and ofc, you can also make a guess about how it will end from the hint of the story~ as always lol. **

**but yeah thanks for all the support and the sweet words~ I love you all!**


	17. Trouble Maker

**Phew, thanks for waiting! and really sorry for the delay, so much work to do.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/ and follows!**

**Thanks to crimson for edits too!**

**Here is the next chapter...and once again i gotta add some OCs in story to make it keep on going.**

* * *

Toujou's residence, Very early Morning;

They've finally returned back to the village—after everything that happened while they were away. The Pirate ship was completed, Nozomi's glove has been returned to her while Kotori and Hanayo collected enough ingredients and materials for their own needs.

Maki, Eli and Umi had their own share of a few materials—and also a material that they would be used for their research to make a greater weapon, which they decided to keep quiet about it at the moment since it might be bad if they were the ones to tell.

Right now, they were all too busy packing up to prepare themselves to return to where they should be. It's true that the trio didn't bring many things when they came, but the month and a half stay provided them with a lot of things in return for them to take back, along with an extra passenger, Nozomi, who now was preparing to leave Earth as well.

"Nozomi-chan…are you really going to leave?" Kotori asked.

"Yes…I'm serious…" Nozomi replied lightly.

"Are you very sure?"

"I'm sure…"

Kotori gave out a sad look while she remained quiet, watching Nozomi pack,

"Don't be sad, be happy because there will be no more trouble from me, beside, now you can finally do anything you want to do with this village… you should hold a party, you know…"

"Ah—what are you saying… I'm not happy to see you leave…"

"You are happy, you don't need to lie…" the low-twin tailed girl replied a little coldly.

"I'm not! I really can't believe you are planning to leave with them! After everything you've done to them! Beside, I thought you want to—…"

"I'll be back…." Nozomi cuts in.

Kotori stopped in the middle of her retort,

"I know they are still my problem…. so I'll be back for them...and Ericchi already set up a communication device in the underground garage, so if anything happens, just head there and use it, ok?"

Kotori remained quiet,

"I'm sure you know how to use it, after all, that Sonoda Umi taught you enough, right?"

"Yes…." She replied weakly,

"There you go…" Nozomi replied before she zipped the bag she had prepared.

There was nothing more Kotori could say so she just quietly stood in spot/

"Now I should be going, here is the key…." The purple haired girl handed a key over to the latter, then walked out with her bag.

"Have fun…" she continued as she reached the door,

Kotori smiled bitterly as she watched her friend leave the room without a second thought.

* * *

Koizumi's Inn—the office;

Hanayo busied herself with preparing a few materials for packing as Maki listed them all carefully,

"Sliver Metal Ores?" Maki said.

"Yup, packed neatly…" Hanayo said.

"Bronze?"

"yup…"

"The Pure Love Lens Emerald?"

"yup…"

"The Diamond Princess's Sapphire?"

"Yup…"

"Gold-wizard Ore?"

"Yup…."

"Fire Stone?"

"Yup…"

"Wind Stone?"

"Yup…"

"Water Stone?"

"Yup…"

"Thunder Stone?"

"I think Kotori wanted to replace that one with the one that she already enhanced, she said it should be coming in handy…"

"Ok, Let's make sure we get this one…"

"Yup, then, what else?"

"Ice Stone…"

"Yup…"

"Orb of Nature?"

"Ah— I think I want to replace that one with the one I enhanced, I'll go get it later…" Hanayo said.

"Ok, then we're all set…" Maki put down the notepad with the list, raising her arms to lightly stretch.

"Anything else you want to take? Maybe you want to bring some memento?"

"Not really, we got everything …" Maki replied.

"Sure?"

Maki blushed slightly,

"If….you have more tomatos, then I'll take some… and the seeds too…"

"Ah—! Of course we have them, I'll bring you some later, do you want some rice too? I have a lot of them and it's going to be great if you can introduce the rice to your family…"

"Huh? W-why would I introduce Rice?"

"Rice is awesome… especially white rice, but if you want the healthier one, you can get red rice instead, but either way, they're all rice and they're all delicious…"

"Yeah, but we have rice too—it's not organic but, it's still rice… there's no difference…" Maki said.

"It's different!" Hanayo insisted.

"Eh?"

"Organic rice and non-organic rice has a different taste!"

"But…they're still rice and they taste just like rice…"

"Wrong! But either way, I'll still bring you some so that way you can share it with your family…"

"If you insist…." Maki sighed twirling the tips of her scarlet hair,

Hanayo asked for the list Maki had near her hands, quickly jotting down new items so they wouldn't forget later.

"Speaking of which, where's Rin?" Maki asked looking towards the entrance of the room, noticing how quiet the place was.

"She should be in her ship, preparing to leave as well…" Hanayo said.

"Huh? Alright…." Maki replied plainly,

After a moment Hanayo stopped writing, while a unhappy look filled her face.

"What's wrong?" Maki asked.

Hanayo smiled faintly,

"It will be lonely again here…" Hanayo said.

Maki remained quiet to listen further,

"and maybe it's going to be a lot more peaceful here too…" Hanayo continued.

"….are you not happy that Nozomi is coming with us?"

"I don't know… maybe I'm not, maybe I am…"

"Why?"

"I'll miss her, but she will be able to finally start over with her life…"

"Start over?"

"Yup, start over…. I talked to her last night…and she told me, she is quitting her job. She might not tell me but, I get a feeling that if she is doing better there, she will stay there and abandon the earth for good…"

"Eh? She quit her job as a headmaster and a teacher?"

"Yeah… and for the meantime, I'll be replacing her duty until the semester is over…"

"But you're not a teacher?"

"I'm not, but I can still fill in, I've done that once before…"

"Oh…."

"And I have free time as well— managing the farm right now can be done in just a few hours so… it won't be much of a problem… but anyway, please take care of her, ok?"

"I wonder, is it really wise to let her start over? She has gotten respect from many…" Maki replied.

"But she also has a dark past that everyone remembers too…so… I think, it's a wise choice to let her start over from scratch…"

"I see…." Maki replied as she smirked slightly,

"Anyway, I'll go get the other things, wait here, ok?" Hanayo said before she got up and left,

"Alright…"

* * *

Outside, at the field further away from the village;

Eli—already in her full space suit and armor, without the headwear, was maintaining the ship that she was able to finally fly again. Nozomi approached her while the blonde examined the back of her own ship, close to the storage door,

"Ericchi, here is my last things to bring…" Nozomi said as she handed over her bag,

Eli turned to her and accepted it without a word, and placed it inside the storage compartment,

"All set now?" Nozomi asked with a sweet smile,

"If you're all set then I am too, just need to wait for the others…"

"Then we're all set…" Nozomi chuckled,

As the two stared into each other quietly, Eli found herself wanting to touch her known-to-be-a-lover again—knowing that she did and it was perfectly fine to do. The blonde started to brush her fingers through the latters hips slowly and gently while she enjoyed herself looking at the curves.

"Ericchi…we're at a place where the others will join in soon…" Nozomi said.

Eli paused as she realized that Nozomi did have a point, it didn't take long for she lifted the girl up and carried her away from the ship—to the further forest nearby.

Reaching near a big tree, she placed Nozomi down and pinned her against it. Without even asking for permission, she began to undo the girl's shirt, grabbing her breast, and started to massage it gently while aggressively kissing her soft skin.

"Sheesh, Ericchi, can't you just wait till we are actually somewhere private?"

Eli didn't respond,

"Don't just be quiet, silly… answer me…"

And still no response as she kept herself busy with her breast,

"Sheesh…."

Nozomi's hands caressed the blonde's face as it slowy pulled her head up, dragging it towards her own pink lips and began to explore Eli's mouth with her tongue that was gladly interwined each other.

"Ericchi… so lustful…" she paused as their lips met,

"You've been doing this to me for a while now…" she continued.

And still no response,

"Ericchi…" she called again—though it was only met with a kiss on her lips and an aggressive tongue traveling around her neck and mouth.

"Answer me…" she said,

Eli got up and started to pull her skirt up—a little disappointed as she found her lover to be wearing a full legged stocking.

"Why did you wear this?" she asked,

"Oh—so you finally decide to speak up… but Ericchi, listen, I'm happy that you're finally doing this out of your own will, but look, you're being really aggressive and uncommunicative. It wasn't my intention, ok….You're over doing it…"

Eli smirked slightly before she reached her couple's core with her metal hand, ripping her stocking apart at ease, creating a small hole that perfectly uncovered what she was looking after.

"Ericchi!" she warned—but was completely ignored as her legs began to be lifted up to the warrior's strong shoulder, dragged close to her face and started to feel a tongue licking her—something that the purple head had a hard time resisting after that day. It was so good that she couldn't even complain about it.

Her grip was really strong which made her unable to pull herself away from Eli, the mage started to moan softly as she could feel the blonde's tongue penetrate deep inside her with her nose brushing against her core.

"Ericchi, stop—I can't—Ah!"

Once again, the warrior ignored her as she greedily licked her,

"Ericchi—stop!"

Nozomi was responded with complete silence from the said blonde. Her body began to feel very tense and wet from all her sweat.

"Ah—ah! Ericchi!"

She called her once again, but there was nothing, until she finally came out on her face. Eli finally loosened her grip and placed her legs down, though she continued with her fingers penetrated in her wet entrance. Nozomi gave up asking for now—because if she stopped right now, she would absolutely suffer the loneliness.

"You better satisfy me from all this—you turned me on…" she complained.

"That's what I want to hear…" Eli smiled at her.

"but seriously, why are you so aggressive all of a sudden?…"

"We're sharing our room so there won't be any private place there…" Eli said.

"Where did you watch your erotic movies then?"

"In my ship, but I can turn them off at any given time, as for this, I doubt I could stop with a single click… or pressing two buttons, because I didn't touch myself when doing it, ok? Not that my suit allows me to…"

Nozomi giggled as she looked at how tight her suit was.

"Is that so? Then alright, I'll pleasure you too…."

* * *

Kotori's workshop, very early morning;

Umi listed her own items as she carefully examined its packaging one by one with Honoka's help.

"Yup…all set…" Umi said.

"Hehe—by the way, Umi-chan!" Honoka said,

"Yes?"

"You should pay a visit to the police station sometimes!" Honoka said cheerfully,

"Why? They are usually the ones who pays a visit to us…" Umi said.

"Hehe, well, like I said before, it would be nice if you can join us!"

"I'll think about it, ok?"

"Yup, Tsubasa-chan said to take your time!"

Suddenly, the door opened carefully as Kotori walked in with her face looking somewhat burdened.

"Kotori-chan!" Honoka greeted cheerfully, totally oblivious towards the hint of sadness evident on her face which Umi happened to see in a second.

"Ah—Honoka-chan…." Kotori faked a smile,

"Are you sad about our leave?" Umi asked.

"Huh? No…Of course not, I'm happy that you all finally can return to where you belong…I'm just a little tired here from staying up till late last night…"Kotori said.

"I see…."

"Hehe! You should pay a visit to their ship too sometimes!" Honoka suggested.

"E-eh? How?" Kotori asked,

"I'll take you there! But It won't be now since we have to register our new ship at the police station!"

"Oh…alright then…" Kotori smiled faintly,

"If anything, you can try to contact me… I left my number on the table of the communication device…" Umi said.

"Yeah, I know, just checked it a while back… Maki-chan also left her number for Kayo-chan" Kotori replied softly.

"Ah, then I guess she also left one for them…" Umi said.

"Oh—yeah! Rin told me she has a number too now! So tet's try and make a group call sometimes!" Honoka said,

"Sure…" Umi replied calmly,

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you hurry up and go to the field? Eli-chan must be waiting for you all…"

"Ah, true, then I'll hurry up with my last check up and head out…" Umi said before she once again started to go through her item list.

* * *

The field, early morning;

An hour passed when Maki and Umi finally finished settling up while Eli returned to the field with Nozomi who looked surprisingly and amazingly very neat.

Kotori, Hanayo, Rin, Honoka, and Niko, who were there to say their farewell to the soldiers, widened their eyes seeing a very orderly Nozomi walk before them …

"Uh—Nozomi-chan, when did you change your hairstyle?" Kotori asked as she focused on the side-braided purple hair.

"A while back?" Nozomi replied.

"Oh…"

"You look neater than usual too…" Hanayo said.

"What are you talking about, I'm always neat when going out…" Nozomi said.

"Right…you are…." Eli said sarcastically.

Nozomi giggled,

"Anyhow, are we all ready?" she asked.

"I'm ready…" Maki said.

"I'm ready too…" Umi said.

"That means, we're all ready to go, right Ericchi?" Nozomi said.

"Yes, we are…"

"Let's get on the ships then…"

With that, The soldier trio maneuvered to their own ships, smoothly opening their doors and taking a sit on their pilot seat inside—as for Nozomi, since Eli doesn't have any other seat….

"I'm sitting on you?" Nozomi asked playfully,

"You have no choice, but make sure you're not blocking my sight…"

"Not a problem…" Nozomi said as she sat on Eli's lap and leaned to the side. Eli took her headwear and equip it before she rest her jaw on Nozomi's shoulder,

"Cold…" Nozomi said as she could feel her headwear touch her skin,

"It will be a lot colder out there….but I'll turn on the heater once we're further away from the earth. It's only going to be 30 minutes so if you don't feel comfortable, just endure it, ok?"

"You should upgrade your ship…"

"Easy for you to say… anyway, you really should get my spare suit and wear it…"

"I'll do that when we're out of the planet…"

"You should do it now…" Eli a bit demandingly.

"Fine then…." Nozomi stood up and headed over to the storage behind the pilot seat—getting the spare suit to change into. That time, the blue eyes averted to the mirror placed on the ceiling—peeking at the girl who was currently changing as she hid behind the pilot seat.

Suddenly, two lights turned on and pinging, Eli quickly reached for them and pressed the button near it.

"You two are connected now…" Eli said.

"Great—I'm glad it's still working…" said a voice from the speaker,

"Your telepathy is pretty loud…" Nozomi finished changing as she walked back to sit down on Eli's lap once more.

"It's not a telepathy, you know…it's called phone call…" another voice from the speaker.

"My, isn't that Maki-chan there?"

"Yes… it's me…."

"Do you two even fit there?" the other voice asked,

"Hmm…Umi-chan, right? I'm perfectly fit here so don't worry…" Nozomi said.

A heavy sigh echoed from the other side of the call,

"I'm actually still against you joining us, but, since Eli is the one who wants to be responsible…."

"Yep—don't worry, take care of yourself…" Nozomi cuts in.

"You still have to mind your manners there, understand?" Eli sighed.

"Don't worry,as long no one's seeking for trouble…"

"I get a feeling you will meet that kind of people as soon as you take your first step on that planet…" Maki said.

"Yes, so let's say…just don't cause any trouble or getting along with it…." Umi said.

"Anyhow, let's just fly now. We have a lot of things to prepare before school…" Maki said.

"Right…."

Then they began to set their seat belt, turning on their machine and heating it up for a moment.

Niko, Rin and Hanayo waved at Maki cheerfully from the outside, while Honoka and Kotori waved at Umi and in response the two soldiers replied them with a playful salute,

For a second there, Kotori glanced at Nozomi who was sitting on Eli with a seatbelt on, though she decided to let go of that. As the three ships flew away, she smiled bitterly, her face all red and her eyes showing how she wanted to cry at the very moment.

"Yush, now it's our turn to prepare-nya!" Rin said cheerfully before she turned around and started to walk away.

"Yush!" Honoka said as she followed her,

"Hah! Can't wait to see that Tsubasa's jaw drop from looking at our brand new ship…" Niko said as she left too with a smug grin on her face.

As the other three left, Kotori was left standing with Hanayo who seemed to notice how she was feeling.

"Kotori-chan…" Hanayo called her softly,

"Ah—Kayo-chan…" Kotori said in her surprise.

"Let's go…." She said.

Kotori nodded weakly,

"Just let it go, ok? Besides, you've got a new friend too…"

"Yup, Umi-chan is sweet…."

"Yup, Maki-chan is sweet too… and Eli-chan is kind, I'm sure she'll be fine with them…"

Kotori still didn't look too entertained.

"What else are you worried about?"

"I was just thinking, she left because of me, right?"

"Nope, she left because she wanted to…"

Kotori shook her head,

"She left because I'm annoying…. I talk too much…"

"I'm sure she knows that you're just trying to tell her how to work in a society—because we all know Kotori-chan is a good girl, right?"

"I'm just trying to do what I promised…"

Hanayo sighed,

"Has anyone told you to just quit if it's not what you want to do? Because, you only have one life and you should dedicate yourself to what you love, not what you promised to others…"

Kotori kept quiet,

"I understand you love your mother and you want to give her happiness, even if she can't see you right now, but I'm sure she will understand as well…"

Kotori nodded,

"I hope so…"

* * *

The Space;

The three ships dashed towards the mothership, one that they were finally able to see from the distance,

Nozomi remained quiet as she was completely fascinated by the sight of stars and the huge sun and—asteroids that flew around space.

"W-wah! Ericchi! Are those asteroids?"

"Yes…" Eli replied.

"You've never seen them?" a mocking voice from the phone followed with a slight chuckle,

Nozomi blushed,

"Of course I did! It just that—I've…never seen it this close!" Nozomi said.

"Maki, don't laugh at her, you were also reacting the same way when you got your first military space ship…" Eli said.

"W-wha? I did not!" Maki retorted.

"I can confirm that, the sparkly eyes still remain in my memory…" Umi said from the phone.

"Sheesh! You two are such bullies!" Maki said.

Umi and Eli chuckled softly, while Nozomi stated to feel a little strange as she saw how close the three were—it was like she was able sense their comfort with each other—she has never felt that way with her friends!

As they keep maneuvering their ships further, Nozomi kept quiet, listen to the trio's conversation. It's true that she is out of place right now, but she is sure that she can get along as soon as she learns more about them.

"—Ey, speaking of which, we should go to locker room as soon as we get there…" Maki said.

"Oh—right…we passed Valentine day…." Umi said.

"It was just a week ago, so…I hope it's not that bad yet…" Maki said sadly.

"Mmm….Chocolate…" Eli said.

"Urgh…why are you not sick of it yet…" Maki said with a slight irritation in her voice.

"Well, why you haven't gotten sick of tomatoes yet…" Eli shot back at the red-head.

"That's….uh because tomatoes can be cooked in many ways…"

"Everyone, I have a new favorite food now…" Umi cut into the small argument.

"What? Honoka's Manjuu? I know you brought some in your storage…" Maki said.

"Yeah…you're fast to notice…"

"…and I know about the cheesecake too…"

"Wha? That..that was just Kotori who offered it to me! I couldn't resist!" Umi said.

"Umi… I noticed that you were never able to resist her… are you—…?"

"W-what are you saying! Eli! Sheesh! I'm not!" Umi protested.

"yeah-yeah, warriors don't fall in love…" Maki said teasingly.

"We really don't!" Umi said.

Maki and Eli giggled at her,

"Sheesh, now you two are bullying me!" Umi huffed.

"You should choose only one, you know… don't hog two girls at once…I know you're into that goof-head too…" Maki said.

"I'm not hogging them!" Umi retorted,

"Hey—Umi, do you realize that the one who said that to you are hogging three girls at once?" Eli couldn't help but to point it out with a smug look on her face.

"Huh? What the hell?"

"Do I have to speak their names?" Eli said teasingly.

"Heck—No! Sheesh! Anyway! We're close to docking soon, so get your ass ready!" Maki said in an upset tone.

"Yep, my ass is ready…" Eli said as Umi let out a chuckle.

* * *

The Earth, Toujou's residence;

Kotori entered Nozomi's bedroom—which was still full of her things, even though some were taken away with her. She sighed weakly as she stared into some of the photographs that were placed on the dresser.

Apparently, Nozomi kept a pictures of her and Hanayo— a lot and most of them were taken without their knowledge. She always knew how Nozomi loved to take photographs, and she knew she has a lot of memories with her and Hanayo.

_G-good morning! M-My name is Minami Kotori! Nice to meet you!_

A memory of her greeting Nozomi for the very first time in this very small village, she was carrying a lot of things in her cart. She bowed respectfully to the older girl, who still looked so young, confident and independent.

_I'm sorry! But can I build a workshop next to your house? I…I was told to build my workshop elsewhere but I don't know where since I don't want to be lonely!_

_That's fine… as long you don't mind with the all the ruins and wild creatures around…._

She remembered that time, the field used to be full of ruins and the place had a very bad stench too. No one lived there but her—and her only.

_I'm really sorry for the trouble, but thank you for helping me to build the workshop… I never actually understood architechure…_

_Me neither, but I've seen blueprints of many buildings, and found just copying their models and changing their mechanics.. so, enjoy your new workshop anyway. I'm done._

She remembered that she had to learn how to use the machines since its not exactly what she thought it would be—Nozomi was pretty sloppy with her work too and she had to call her a lot of times to tidy it up.

As Kotori looked at the next photograph, she started reminiscing about the past once more,

_Uhm..Nozomi-chan, my mother wanted to pay me a visit, do you mind if she stays here?_

_That's your responsibility, I don't care. Just stay away from the dark forest, ok? _

That time she remembered Nozomi walking back home a little strangely—she didn't understand it that time, but she remembered well that she found few fresh blood splatter on the ground—which she stupidly didn't find suspicious.

_Nozomi-chan, do you have any idea about where I can find honey? My mother wanted to make honey fried chicken._

_I've seen some bees at the White Lily, but I think they're dangerous…so…forget about it._

_Oh…_

_Stay out of trouble, ok?_

Later she found herself remembering how a hive full of honey was found right in front of her door step the next morning—without the bees. She thought it was just a miracle or an animal that had accidentally dropped it.

Then she remembered how her mother was so satisfied with the honey—and then the first thing she said about it was about: the girl who placed the honey must be very experienced with nature. At that time the ash-brunette's stupidly didn't allow herself to understand what her mother meant…but now she knows.

_Nozomi-chan! Nozomi-chan! T-this is bad! My mother tried to adventure to the White Lily and got stung by the bees! She was just wounded last time, but now she can't move her legs! W-what should I do?_

_First step, don't panic. Second step, tell her to stop moving and keep herself as calm as possible, third step, just wait for a miracle to happen..._

And then she left without any other words. She was so confused that time—but just an hour later, a group of medic from the city happened to come by and ask for water. She didn't know that time, but she believed somehow that they were just trying to make an excuse to enter the house and carry her mother back to the city—and that can't happen without someone telling them to do so.

_…Kotori-chan, don't forget what I've told you and take care of Nozomi-chan… She might not be honest, but you know that she needs a friend to do that for her—so be tough, ok?_

She remembered her mothers last words as she turned her gaze at a photograph of her and her mother sitting on top of the roof and looking at the sunset. It was a very beautiful picture…

Then she turned to the side, at where most of the photographs were filled by the pictures of Hanayo,

_G-Good morning! W-we are from the Koizumi Family! W-w-we wanted to open a farm here, is that alright?_

She recalled towards how the timid girl trembled as she talked to Nozomi.

_A farm? That's going to be hard—since you will have to remove all those ruins…_

_D-D-d-don't worry! W-w-we are experts in nature magic, w-w-we c-can clean them up in an instant…_

_Is that so? That's good for me then… good luck. Just make sure the wild animals didn't ruin your hard work, ok? _

Ever since that day, Nozomi has always gone missing and returned with wounds all over her body. She didn't know what happened at that time…but she was sure—it was something that was untold by everyone.

_W-wah! T-Thi-this is my first time growing my own rice field! I-Isn't it amazing, Nozomi-chan?_

_Yup, you're doing great… your hard work really paid off… I'm glad no animals came by to ruin your field…_

_Y-yes! Th-thanks to the scarecrows and the farmers!_

And at that moment, she remembered how sweet her friend's smile was as she stared into the rice field, full of joy and pride.

Remembering, ever since that day, Nozomi was also very tired and she was finally able to take a break for a few days, doing nothing but resting in her home until—

_N-No-Nozomi-chan! T-T-This is bad! O-one of my farmer was attacked by a bear!_

_Huh? A Bear? Why would a bear come all the way here? Did anyone steal his fish? Need Medic?_

_I-It's not a joke! B-but anyway! It's not about the healing that I'm worried about, I'm worried about the security! Can I build more lush forest and rock wall around the village?_

_Sure… go on…. If that makes you feel safe._

And from that, the village has never been invaded by random animals—and Nozomi seems to be able to rest more…but…

_Nozomi-chan! Nozomi-chan! Look! I got an invitation to go to school!_

_Ah, Kotori-chan, that sounds exciting…_

_Yup, I'll be there for two years to learn the alchemy basics to strenghten my knowledge!_

_That's nice…_

_Do you want to learn in school too?_

_Me? No… not a chance, I'm just not that type of person who can obey someone else, if I were to ever enter the school, then I would rather be the headmaster…_

She believed that to be joke around then….and that time too…

_Do you need a ride to get there? If you can summon a familiar called, Sleipnir, then I'll materialize him for you—and he'll be your permanent mount._

_E-eh? But…I can't ride a horse…_

_Then, your Sleipnir will teach you…_

And she swore she learned how to summon and ride a horse in just a few months. The same promise was given to Hanayo as well, except she needed it to go to the city to receive her agriculture lesson in her family's school.

Since that day, they always shared with each other—though Nozomi seemed to still be hiding things about what she has done… and it's hard to tell if she actually did it or not since she always spun them around with her talks.

"The things I've said about you… how stupid of me for not realizing that your kindness has never been told directly…now its too late…isn't it…?" she mumbled as she smiled faintly,

As Kotori looked through the photos, she noticed something stuck under her bed. Kotori curiously approached it and pulled it out…

"W-what….what is this?!" Kotori blushed madly as she looked into the erotic magazine that she found.

Kotori looked around for a moment making sure no one was around, before she began to look at what was inside the magazine…

That magazine was filled with only females in erotic fashion, then some even posing in a very lewd manner. She swear her heads started to spin as she saw them,

"N-Nozomi-chan!"

* * *

The Soldier's Dorm;

Maki, and Umi arrived at the room with their arms full of chocolate. They placed it in an empty basket near the door and sighed heavily.

"Wow…that was… a lot…." Maki said.

"Yeah, the number of it hasn't even decreased I bet…." Umi replied.

"This is madness, but I hope I can graduate soon so I can stop dealing with these kind of things…"

"You know, we might have a chance to graduate sooner if we join them…"

"Them….?"

"The group that stopped Eli at the entrance, do you know anything about them?"

"Huh? No…other than their epic looking armors… no…"

"They're called The Einhenjars… the space army. They're made by human race just like The Space Police, A-Rise, same rank but different purposes and requitment settings. I suppose you never knew about them?"

"No…"

"Well, The Einhenjar are supposedly to be the organization that keeps the galaxy safe. Though they don't take interest on minor purposes….unlike the space police, they are capable of recruiting from many planets and languages and they only act when a big problem or danger occurs…"

"Uh, I've never seen them around here, so, I wonder if there's a big problem somewhere?"

"I'm not sure… but they always come once every three years to recruit from our people…"

"Oh…"

"But either way, we should tidy up our room and prepare for school, let's do Eli's work too while we're at it…"

"Alright…"

With that the two started to tidy up their room.

* * *

Terra's headquarters;

Eli—followed by Nozomi and a few other soldiers behind her, walked through the hall as they looked at how many other soldiers were standing around the area, they looked to be busy with briefing and practice.

As they finally arrived at where she was called to, Eli glanced down—from the very well crafted metal boots with feather-like ornaments, chain mail leg armors with fantastic quality of design, epic chest-piece with heroic looking pauldron, and…the headwear that really made the persons dark brown with a few strands of white haired woman with blue eyes, pale white skin and tough muscular features look a lot more powerful than she is.

"Greetings, Ayase Eli…." She said.

Eli gestured quietly,

"We held our meetings about three days ago, but you were absent… we could've just skipped and went on to another galaxy for recruits, but it would be horrible of us to let our dearest feel alone and worthless…"

She said as she glanced at Nozomi who was showing no signs of respect to her as she only kept playing with her own lips as she looked around at her surroundings,

"…though, it turns out you have a new…charming….friend…" she continued.

"Please ignore her…." Eli said.

"As you wish, dear…." She squinted her eyes at Nozomi—who seemed to not care.

"So Ayase Eli, how's your life?"

"Been good, thank you…"

"And your arm…?"

"It's working perfectly…"

"I'm glad, but you should go maintain it, we have a new system you would want to try…"

"Is that so? Then I'll head there as soon as possible…"

"Great, but anyway, I hope you are still interested on joining us… because we need people like you to protect the galaxies…"

Eli doubted a little as she glanced at Nozomi who seemed to have taken an interest on the virtual fish tank on the pillar.

"I don't know…."

"We understand… knowing that we will have a lot of responsibility as well… but I personally believe that a person like you will be able to hold the burden. You've been through a lot, child… and this is just going to be the similar kind of pain—could be better could be worse..."

"Thank you… Commander… I'll consider it."

She chuckled,

"Soon as you join us, you would be able to call me mother just like the other einhenjar, or perhaps, you can join the elites—or let's say, the valkyries instead?"

Eli smiled,

"That would be nice…"

"Speaking of which, I think you might want to take care of your friend…."

And as she said that, Eli quickly turned around to find Nozomi already gone from where she was!

"N-Nozomi!" Eli flustered,

"Yes Ericchi?" she replied—but Eli couldn't see her anywhere.

"Where are you?"

"Up here…"

Eli quickly lift up her sight so see the purple head standing above the virtual machine on the pillar!

With everyone already staring at her in awe.

"Nozomi! W-what are you doing there?!"

"I'm just wondering how this thing works…"

"There! It just a virtual machine! I can explain it to you later! Come down! Sheesh!"

"Really?"

"Yes! Just….Come down!" Eli started to panic.

"Then, catch me!" and without waiting for her consent, Nozomi jumped down making Eli quickly run in…

"Nozomi!" she panicked and luckily she was able to catch her.

"Ahaha! Ericchi is so accurate!" she said cheerfully as she tightly gripped onto Eli.

"D-don't do that again! Sheesh! Even though its an artificial gravity, it's still hurts if you fall!"

"But I believe you'll catch me so–yup…" she smiled teasingly,

Eli sighed and she placed Nozomi down carefully,

"Ask me if you have any questions, ok? Don't just go examining it yourself.." Eli said.

"Ok!" Nozomi replied cutely,

They smiled at each other before Nozomi suddenly hugged and kissed her boldly—in front of everyone in the hall—that ended up causing a big outrage. Ayase Eli , the most popular student being romantic with a person who has never been seen around the ship….

* * *

The Dorm Room;

The two soldiers managed to tidy up a few parts and set up the studying atmosphere. They switched the window wallpaper with a view of the library, connected their computer with the school's library as well and set up an empty table with a few memory cards of study placed neatly at the center.

"Yup, that's good for now since we'll be mostly dealing with the theories this semester…" Umi said.

"Yeah, I suppose so…"

"Ah, right, you'll be having culinary classes too, right? I think I have a book of recipes that you can have…"

"Thanks… that will help" Maki replied shyly.

"Don't worry, you'll pass that as long as you follow the recipes…"

"Yeah…"

"Speaking of which, how about your tomatoes? Did your staff get them all?"

"Yeah, I told them to just pick everything and use it for house's supply…"

"Oh, alright…"

"What about your stuff? Your manjuu and everything?"

"I ate them when we were all on the way here…."

"Oh… I'm pretty sure I heard someone saying that she is going to share the food…"

"They're very tempting, I couldn't help…"

"You sure have problem with holding yourself….huh?"

"I'm pretty sure I kept thinking to just get a small bite out of it…"

"And you failed badly…plus... now that we're here, we can't possibly return to just ask for it.."

Umi blushed slightly,

"W-well…anyhow… I should be going to the library to renew our student ID cards…"

"Yeah—right, you better do that while I'm going to get some ingredients for dinner…"

"Don't be too random this time, ok? Even though I heard Nozomi doesn't care about what she eats…"

"Don't worry about that… I'll just get a lot of vegetables and some mushrooms…hopefully that can replace the meat…"

"Yes please, I heard she also need to get on a diet so…."

"Yeah, I heard too… don't worry… just low fat stuff and we're fine…"

* * *

The Corridor of Dorm,

Eli was dragging Nozomi with her as people kept looking at them—the news are not spreading yet, but it already took a lot of people's attention when they saw Eli holding someone's hand.

"Sheesh…Nozomi, you're pulling out such a stunt!" Eli complained,

"I was just kissing you…"

"I know! But you did it in front of people! Now everyone knows who you are…"

"Is that a problem?"

"I hope not! Dealing with those crazy girls will take a lot of my time, I don't need to deal with haters too…"

"Haters? Hmm…Sounds tasty…"

"Nozomi…"

"I mean… I'll be able to deal with them…don't worry…"

"Please don't kill, ok? It's true that we have no value until we graduate, but to kill each other is just something that I don't want to happen…"

"I didn't say I'll kill anyone, I'm just going to smite them with—…"

"—not a fire…" Eli cuts in,

"yes… just my cuteness…"

"Don't act strange…"

"They don't know me yet, no one knows me yet so it won't be strange if I'm doing that…"

"Right, but make sure you stay true with us, ok?"

"Oh—would be better if you just accept the cute me… I'm trying to change completely…"

"I don't care about how you act, but I care about your feelings… so if you feel burdened, please just say it…" Eli said

Nozomi smiled,

"Yup, I can make sure of that…"

Then as they were close to their room, Eli noticed Maki about to leave the room with an empty hand bag.

"Ah—…Maki!" she called,

Maki turned to her,

"Oh, Eli…" she greeted.

"Where you're going?" she asked.

"Buying ingredients…" she replied plainly...

"I see… can you get some materials delivered too? I need to make a new suit…"

"Sure, no problem…" Maki replied before she walked away without another word.

Eli seems to not care about that part as she just headed into the room. Nozomi watched the two just leaving the conversation at that point—because from what she remember, other people would always mind walking away from a conversation like that.

She walked in along with Eli who seemed to be just going into the room without saying anything else…so she decided to start the conversation,

"Are you always like that with them?"

"What?" Eli asked.

"Just, say each others name, speak, then ask, then leave without saying thanks or anything?"

"We don't find the need to say it, it's something that regularly happens…" Eli replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Maki's the one who always goes to the market since she can't cook…"

"That makes no sense, how could she shop if she doesn't know how to cook? She doesn't even know whats good for what, right? Or at least that would be what I think of her as…"

"That's where the fun is… whatever she brings will be the ingredients for our dinner. We challenged ourselves from that, you know… to make good food out of random ingredients…"

"Oh…Now I regret I didn't ask to come with her…"

"No, I'm glad you didn't…." Eli said as she sighed.

"There, Ericchi, I was just trying to make sure she gets the good ingredients… even though I can't cook—I know about ingredients…."

"Yeah…you must be talking about meat… Nozomi, seriously, meats here aren't only limited to ox meat, lamb, chicken, or any other earth animals, ok? There's more on the list—and I just don't want you to pick randomly since there will be a chaos if you do…"

"Oh–come on, wouldn't be that bad to be adventurous for a bit…"

"Bad… don't just try everything…"

"Forget about that, now let's just hurry up and measure your body so I can start making blueprints for your suit…"

"I'm fine with your size, a little too tight but fine…"

"No, I really should get you a new one—besides, like what I said before, you cannot use magic here…or actually, must not use magic here… I want you to start learning how to use a weapon…ok?"

"Ehh? But that's boring..."

"Nozomi…. you have to follow the rules…"

"Nope, no one can tell me what to do…"

"I can!" Eli frowned.  
Nozomi remained quiet for a moment,

"Ok, you can…"

"Yes, and I'm telling you to obey me, I don't want them to get suspicious about you...So you have to learn…"

"I can use a gun or a small sword…."

"A gun-sword, huh?"

"You're going to make my weapon too?"

"Yes, but it's going to use the most simple mechanics and the lightest iron at the moment, because it should be your first time using it and I don't want you to mess up…"

"I'm pretty much a professional on using them… don't worry!"

"thing is, they won't be made into two separate weapons but instead into one weapon with two functions…"

"Like a Gunblade? That's pretty old fashioned… I can deal with that."

"No, there will be a few other mechanics that you will have to learn, it's not going to be as simple as that…"

"Really? Then, what should I need to know about?"

"Many things, but the very first step is to not do anything stupid like, climbing a virtual fish tank…"

"Your commander seemed to be impressed though…." Nozomi chuckled,

"Lenora always gets impressed way too easily…" Eli sighed.

"Lenora…is that her name?"

"Yes… Commander Lenora Randgrid… She was the one who saved me in the mission where I lost my arm… she and her daughter, Eir Randgrid…"

"My, so you have a history with her… is her daughter hot?"

"I don't know what's hot in your terms, but she is good looking if that's what you're asking…"

"Then she looks fine, huh?"

"Yes…"

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"She is a valkyrie, and used to be my rival…." Eli replied as she averted her eyes,

"Used to be? So she is not right now?"

"I might be no match for her now. Valkyries are strong and well trained…"

"Is that what you think?"

"Yes…of course…."

Nozomi giggled at the response.

"Then, I'll make sure to greet her nicely…"

Eli sighed ,

"Put that aside…" she smirked,

"Let me measure your body, ok? I need it so I can start working on your suit…" she continued as she took out a tablet from the table, then started to run an application on it. She placed it on the table again before she grabbed Nozomi and put her in position.

"It could've been faster if you didn't break my tablet, I barely touch this one…"

"Well, you shouldn't have complained since you have many tablets with you…" Nozomi stared at her surrounding as Eli started to measure her with the tablet which showed a holographic measuring tool.

"That one is fully upgraded—and I've purchased a lot of things in it, now I have to start over since I don't have any back up account…" Eli sighed heavily.

"On the bright side, you'll be able to keep track of what you might've missed back then." Nozomi smiled playfully.

You can't convince me with that…" Eli smirked.

Nozomi giggled,

"Of course I can, now that you have me as your girlfriend, you should start adjusting your stuff with me…"

"We are just girlfriends... Not a married couple…"

"Same thing…"

"Different—we are not married yet…."

Nozomi giggled.

"My… you're saying it like it's allowed to be married…"

Eli raised her eyebrow,

"Is it not on earth?"

"Nope…only in some places but either way— did no one see being in love with same gender wrong here?"

"What do you mean it's wrong? Since when is it wrong?" Eli flustered.

Nozomi looked surprised when she heard that it's not wrong for two girls to go out on Terra,

"No one ever says that here?"

"No…why would anyone be saying that anyway. That's nonsense…" Eli said.

"So it's allowed huh?"

"Of course it is, else, those girls wouldn't be chasing after me even until now…" Eli replied,

"hhmmm….so what makes someone be wanted by many here….?"

"No idea….ask them why they want me… because I certainly don't want them… I'm tired of them… "

"You don't like them sending you gifts?

"Yes…"

"Why? It's a gift, I'll be happy if I get them…"

"You know how it feels like to me? It feels like they're trying to buy me with their gifts, even though some are honestly trying to give it me. They want me to approach them, they want me to like them while in fact, I cannot return such feelings…"

"You haven't explained to me why you dislike them…." Nozomi said.

"That's pretty much already what I can tell you, the rest… I don't think so…."

"You have to open up to me…. I want to know more about you… that's the whole reason as to why I'm here…"

Eli gloomed slightly,

"Then you are certainly going to waste your time here… I won't tell you and you will never find anything out here either… other than my daily activities…"

"My, still stubborn aren't you…"

"Why do you even want to know about me anyway…. My life isn't that interesting…"

"I'm your lover, I need to know about you so I can take care of you…."

"Take care of me, huh? You don't have to do that…I'll do that to you…" Eli said as she finished her measuring.

"Then it's not going to be fair… but Ericchi, let's not argue about this again, if you insist about not telling me, then I'll figure it out on my own… don't get upset when I start assuming on my own, ok?"

"Whatever suits you…" Eli replied plainly.

Nozomi wasn't very satisfied with her reaction, so she decided to pinch both of her cheeks,

"That's not the reaction that I want!"

"Wh-wha? Whad d'you ewspec mwe two wsay?" Eli replied as the cute girl kept pulling at her cheeks.

"Be upset!"

"Huh?"

"Like, scold me, or something…."

"W-why? It's not like you're the only one who did it… a lot of people do it in fact…. Or actually, everyone does that… if they don't get an explanation, they will assume… only a fool gets upset by that sort of thing…"

"So you're saying I'm a fool because I get upset at that…?"

"Yes… you are… I mean, look, everyone has their own thoughts and when you do something, they certainly will judge you… and the only best thing to do is to make it clear on your own… plus, it would be entirely your fault if someone judged you as someone you're not… because you can't make it clear for them…"

"You speak like you know what they did to me…"

"…and now you're talking like you're the only one who gets treated that way….you made yourself special… you made yourself carry the heaviest burden in the entire universe… truth is, it's not, right..."

"tell me if you know a person who is a lot more suffering than me…"

"I wouldn't know and you wouldn't know… We all have our own challenges… with different problems, and a whole different way of living, and situations… you just can't compare yourself with others…"

Nozomi smiled slightly,

"Why are you suddenly speaking like you're wiser than me?"

"No idea… maybe that's because you're not wise to begin with… but I can't say I'm wise either… I just learned that lesson from my own experiences…. "  
Nozomi sighed softly before she headed to the bed on the left. She sat down and closed her eyes…

"I see…. so it was entirely my fault that they villainize me…"

"I'm not saying that, it could be their fault too for not trying to understand you—but in all honesty,  
what you should try to find is not the one who does the mistake, but instead the one who was the one that came up with the wrong solution… think not of the present or the past but of the future instead… they're just some lessons to consider…"

Nozomi giggled softly.

"Look who's talking… I may not know that much about you, but I'm very sure you did something like what I did too…"

"You're just guessing—but…no… I'm…worse than that…." Eli averted her eyes.

"Victimizing yourself now?"

"Victimize? No….I'm not… it's just how it is…"

"You're thinking negatively about yourself… even though you may not think that you're the most tormented person in the entire galaxy, I'm sure you think your life is a sorrowful life and you can't change it… am I right?"

Eli remained quiet...knowing Nozomi wasn't completely wrong,

"No answer?"

"I want to ask first…"

"What is it?"

"If I said yes, what will you do?"

"Nothing, I just want to know…"

Eli smiled faintly

"Then, yes, my life is full of misery…" she replied with a soft sigh.

"….and it's not that I want to be sad. I've always been trying to look for a way to make my life better. Alas, I'm not a person who gets sad because I like people to give their attention to me…no…and no, not even a person who rants in social media and expect people to look after me—then snaps at them when they're trying to give their attention to me…"  
Nozomi giggled,

"Social media, I've never touched them, on earth at least… I only have my profile in the school's directory and students send their assignment report on there…so tell me more about this social media that you have around here…"

"As students, we have to make a profile of our own which will function like our social media. It will also function like our report card and everyone could see it. Once we graduate, our profiles will be certified and we'll officially be citizens of Terra, and they who died—or they who don't make it in certification will have their profile deleted…"

"Is there no other social media around here?"

"No… and you can only have one social media… you have to register yourself at the main-server and set up your account security and settings… then log in to your account using your own tablet… or computer…"

"Will you get me those as well?"

"I have to…except I'll have to tinker with yours a little, to make you look like you've been here all this time… but just unheard of.."

"Ohh..I like that… how will you do it?"

"Well….."

* * *

The Dorm's corridor,

Umi is on the way back to her room, though as she is about to turn—she saw a man in a technician uniform wandering around the dorms, looking like he was lost.

Umi decided to approach him…

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Wh-whoa!" he jumped,

"S-s-sorry! D-did I scare you?" Umi stuttered as she was slightly startled at the man jumped,

"P-pretty much… sorry…I thought you're my senior…"

"Sorry…"

And the two went to an awkward silence for a moment,

"B-by the way! Can I help you?" Umi asked to break the silence.

"Huh? Well…I… I'm a new technician… I need to look for the server room…"

"Server room? That's far away from here…. This is the female dormitory…"

"Oh!" he smirked awkwardly.

"How could you come all the way here…" Umi frowned,

"S-sorry! I….I thought it would be around here…"

"No way, server is always in the top area, you're all the way to the west area…." Umi said boldly.  
The man started to get flustered.

"G-gh…I…I have a task to do…please just tell me where the server room is…"

"I told you, server is at the top area… did you even study in your elementary years?!" Umi frowned at him.

"T-then! I…I have to go now! Bye!" he said before he quickly stormed off the corridor,  
Umi kept her frown towards the man as she watched him leave in a hurried manner...

* * *

The marketplace,

As Maki browsed around the supermarket, she carefully looked through each ingredients that were being displayed on the container. She already had a few vegetables in her basket and four bottles of soy-milk on the corner side of her basket.

As she was about to pick up a corn from the container, another hand was about to pick up the same corn, Maki quickly changed to another corn but the other hand somehow changed to the same corn again.

She lifted her head in slight irritation, seeing a tough looking young woman with dark brown hair and a few strands of white, pale skin, light blue eyes and cherry lips.

The two stare into each other quietly for a moment,

"Uh…you first…" Maki said as she completely removed her hands from the container.

The woman didn't make any changes to her expression, she grabbed the corn and left in a hurry. The red head didn't seem to care and carried on with her business...knowing that the woman peeked at her for a moment. Maki noticed the pause, though as she turned to look, she was already gone.

* * *

The Server Room;

The room lighted with red and green, the guards patrolled the area as they carefully paid attention to every corner making sure to not miss any spot.  
Eli and Nozomi snuck through metal boxes, as they carefully took their steps, trying to reach the shift schedule machine close to the entrance,

"Are we going to sabotage that?" Nozomi whispered,

"Yes…"

"Classic…" she said.

"We can't hurt anyone here,…" Eli said,

"That's classic too… why is there nothing more exciting than that?"

"What do you mean more exciting, huh?"

"Like, smacking people, putting them in an unconscious state without them realizing?"

"That's so classic too… you're no different…"

"It's still a lot more challenging than sneaking without hurting anyone…we have to get ourselves close enough to someone who can get us in trouble…"

Eli sighed,

"Fine, we will do that if we really have to…" she said.

"Good…"

And before Eli could say anything, Nozomi already started to move quickly,

_Nozomi…!_

Without warning she hits one of the guards very roughly…which No one saw that coming….

The guard fell unconscious….

Eli face-palmed at the purple haired girl and her antics,

Nozomi dragged the guard to a hiding place.

"Why….." Eli whispered.

"I need his suit…." Nozomi said as she started to strip him.

Eli kept quiet as she watched her work in a hurried fashion.

As she finished, she tried to look for a box to hide her previous suit which happened to me Eli's spare ones.

"Here…" Eli offered her small pocket.

"Don't tell me you can put this big suit in there…." Nozomi asked a bit skeptical,

"You can, everything here is made and registered in this bag system…" Eli replied.

"Nice—thought you wouldn't have anything magical like that…"

"Well, it's not that magical, the only items that can be kept here are the ones registered in the bag system…if not, then you'll have to root the bag and register it."

"Troublesome…."

"Yes…. But at least it comes in handy later…"

"We have the similar magic tools, but ours are absolutely a lot better than that…" Nozomi said as she finished wearing the guard's full suit.

"I'm sure you do…." Eli glanced to the now armorless guard—with only his tight suit left.

"Now…we have to hide him…." she continued.

"Hm….." Nozomi began to think…

"Let's just…do this…." she put him in sitting position,

"and this…" she touched his lower zip…..

"W-whoa! Whoa! Nozomi!" Eli panicked.

"Sssh! Don't be too loud, Ericchi! I thought it was your idea to stealth here!" Nozomi quickly hushed her.

"I know but why did you open that! You can't see anything but his stinky stick!"

"That's the point, I'm going to pull it out and place his hand on it…"

"W-what?! What for?!"

"To make him look like he just got exhausted from doing something! It's a camouflage!"

"We don't need to do that!"

"What else can he do around here?"

"He could've….uh….." Eli tried to look around.

"Hmmm….." she couldn't find anything else but computers…

"Let's make him sit in front of one of the computers…"

"Alright…"

And the two moved him… placing him on a chair and set him up in front of computer.  
Then the two kept looking at him for a moment….

"Hmm…"

They tried to think again….

Because something still feels off…

It still looks like it's a set up…

"We need to turn on the computer…." Eli said.

"Yup, was thinking the same too…." Nozomi said as she tried to look for the power button.

Eli swiftly worked on turning on the computer… which asked for the ID and password….

"Can you hack that, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"I can't….but I can do something with it…" Eli started to look for something through the computer and took out a machine with a light green screen on the middle.

"What's that?" Nozomi asked. Eli took the guard's hand and peeled off his glove.

"A finger print log-in… usually used for emergency log in…" Eli said as she pressed his finger on the screen.

The computer started to load as it logged him in...

It didn't take long for the The computer turned on instantly greet them with a few tabs full of numbers.

"Numbers…" Nozomi raised her eyebrow.

"Someone forgot to close the tab.." Eli sighed,

"….it's ironic that someone can be this messed up in an important task…" she continued.

"What are these computers for…?" Nozomi asked.

"It's a base, everyone sends their data here, which are then processed to the main server… and that's where we have to change it, because if we deliver the the data to the other computers apart from the main server, it will be recorded in the history—and we wouldn't be able modify it…"

"You can't modify history?"

"No… you can't, the update is too fast and too many notifications to go through… but it can be easily searched through from another computer… so that's why, we really can't do it from other computers…" Eli replied.

"That's a deep concept… like, you know… you can't change history so we really have to do it on the spot?"  
Eli remained quiet for a moment,

"also means whatever is damaged are kept that way… so anyway, we have to hurry up… what do you think we should do to him to make this scene look natural…?" Eli asked.

"Hmm….." Nozomi began to think…

* * *

The dorm room;

Maki finally returned from shopping and entered the room, finding Umi already waiting inside, read something in her tablet.

"Ey…Umi…." Maki greeted as she placed down her items.

"Oh, welcome back…" Umi greeted her back politely.

"Any news?" Maki asked,

"Not really, unless you want to hear about a creepy technician who just got here a while back.

"Huh?"

"There was man who seemed to be lost, he just got here a few minutes ago and left in hurry…" Umi explained,

"What was a man doing around this area? I don't think any male is allowed to enter unless if it was something really important…"

"That was my question too when I saw him…" Umi's faced looked very thoughtful.

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yes, he was looking for the server room…"

"The server room? That's all the way up north, why is he here…."

"I know, that was what I asked him too…"

"Is he new?"

"He said he was a new technician, but, to not know where the server room is…. isn't that weird?"

"Yes…it is weird…. We should go warn the server guards…" Maki suggested.

"Yes… I'm trying to contact one right now…but, I don't know why, they aren't accepting the call, so I'm trying to look for the department's number…"

"Oh, I should have the number somewhere, I used to contact them for my clinic…"

"Ah, that would be great…." Umi said as the red head walked towards her bed to look for her tablet.

"By the way though, where's Eli and Nozomi?" Maki asked.

"I don't know, maybe they went shopping for Nozomi's needs. After-all She is new here…."

"Oh….. then I guess we can tell her later when they catch the strange man in the server room…"

"Yeah…."

Maki dialed the departments number in her tablet…and as it connected she started to speak...

"Hello, this is Nishikino Maki reporting that—….."

* * *

**K, that's it for now~ see you next chapter and sorry for the slow update... So busy x_x**


	18. The Grey Valkyrie

**Ok, here is next chapter. **

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**Thanks to crimson!**

* * *

The earth, afternoon;

Hanayo had just finished with examining her farmland when she walked to her room until suddenly she heard a voice call for her….

"Kayooo-chaaaaaaannn!" a very high pitched voice cried from a distance.

"K-K-Kotori-chan!?" Hanayo panicked.

"Kayo-chaaaan!" Kotori ran into the girl, hugging her tight.

"W-what-what happened?!" Hanayo asked.

"Uhhhh…Kayo-chan! I failed!" she said.

"W-wha? Failed what? I didn't hear any explosions?"

"No…not in alchemy! Nozomi-chan!"

"Huh?"

"N-Nozomi-chan has a ton of erotic books in her room…"

"W-wh-whaaat? S-she is in the dark world!"

"Y-ye-yes!"

"Oh no! W-what should we do now? She is already in the dark world!"

"Y-y-yes! N-No-Nozomi-chan! S-she will sell herself!"

"W-we have to hurry up and contact Rin-chan! Or…or…Niko-chan! Or Honoka-chan!"

"Y-yes!"

* * *

The police station;

A grand pirate-look-alike ship docked at the station harbor, never seeing a ship as big as theirs, the guards approached it carefully while the ships passangers dropped the anchor at a certain place and lowered the stairs.

"Hey, Niko, new ship-eh? Didn't know you could build it this big…" one of the guard said as Niko stepped down from the stairs,

"Of course—I got a very competent engineer to make it for me… and from the best Earth materials too…" Niko said with a smug smile on her face.

"I can tell— such details won't be reached without a skilled engineer…but hey, how's the search going…" he asked.

"Nothing, we stumbled on the job a bit, that Nozomi is a real pain in the ass …"

"Do you want us to capture her?"

"Huh? No…No way, what crime has she done…"

"She has a big crime record for being extremely aggressive, we can accuse and arrest her anytime but it seems that her friends are still fond to her… plus they're pretty much our only alliance to Earth right now…" he replied.

"Ah, yeah, the important matters come first…. Have you all finally told them about what happened?"

"No, we're still considering it, we don't want to ruin their peace and make them panic…"

"Oh—ok then, excuse us, we're going to go and register the ship now…" Niko said.

"Roger that…" the guard saluted at her,

Rin and Honoka stepped down the stairs after the short girl, following her to the office.

* * *

The Server Room,

Eli was busy staring into the server computer very intensely while Nozomi was completely unburdened by everything as she paced around the room at ease. At this point in the mission, even Eli succumbed into wearing a guard's uniform as well, both with a helmet on so that they wouldn't be recognized. If anyone were to come into the room, they would see a lot of guards sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

The room was extremely cold and quiet,

As Eli worked on the computer—staring through every detail with much concentration, making sure to not make any mistake with the registration. Feeling unentertained Nozomi decided to start a conversation as she still went around the room,

"Ericchi…It's really cold in here…"

"Of course… this is the server room, computers are working non-stop so they need to be kept cool…" Eli said without moving her eyes away from the computer.

"I wonder how they could work in here—it's only been an hour and I already feel like I'm freezing…"

"You must get used to that…. once we go further from the Earth, it will be a lot more colder… even if you already have the hottest heater on…"

"Then I'll stick with Ericchi all the time, that will work, yes?"

Eli sighed,

"Just don't do anything crazy, ok? We're lovers but we shouldn't show off…."

"That's no fun, I should show off, who wouldn't want to show off a hot girlfriend like you?"

"Nozomi…."

Nozomi giggled,

"Don't worry, no one will be in our way… I can make sure of that…."

"Still, mind your manners….I don't want to cause a riot" Eli flatly said.

Right then came loud bangs from the other side of the room, which made the couple turn around quickly towards the noise, simultaneously.

"Damn it…" Eli smirked, hastening her work.

"Are you finished yet? We need to pretend we were patroling…" Nozomi said slightly panicked by the noise.

"Almost…."

"I'll go to check the situation, just hurry up…" Nozomi quickly ran towards the door, accidentally stepping on an unconscious guard.

Peeking her head out from the door, Nozomi saw about five guards chasing after a man with a technician uniform. She noticed that he was attempting to escape from them as they aggressively tried to arrest him. The man ran, about to enter the room the two were in at the very moment. Knowing that it would be very troublesome for them to get caught just because of one man, Nozomi fully came out of the room and without a hint of hesitation, stretched out her legs, making the man trip over and allowing the other guards catch up to him.

"Great work, partner!" said one of the guards, whom Nozomi kept quiet to, as she watched the man getting arrested.

"Damned intruders, he can't even show his profile on the tablet…" the guard said,

"Who allowed him to enter—our security can't be this weak during this period of time!" the other said.

"Yeah, we need to tighten our security before valuable members are harmed…" said the other again as they brought him away from the area. The guards left without any other words—which Nozomi found to be quite surprising…she thought she would have to make some kind of special salute or something.

She turned to Eli who looked a lot more calm as she kept working on the computer.

"That was easy…." Nozomi said.

"Really? Be glad then…." Eli replied plainly.

"I thought there will be some sort of special salute or something, I wanted to learn it…"

"There is none… We're all brothers and sisters here, so we don't actually need to make gestures like strangers. We just say or do it when it's necessary…. Like, meeting with those valkyries…"

"So you're saying, everyone who is born and lives here are all treating each other like a family?"

"Only towards those who are experienced enough in living as a soldier… or they who actually learned enough as they do…" Eli said as she finished up her work, leaving the computer like how it was when they entered for the very first time.

"So it's not all, huh? I wonder how you people deal with betrayal…."

"Detention room… trust me it's not pretty there…"

"So if we're caught now, we go to the detention room?"

"Pretty much since now you're registered in the list… you're now a student, same year with me… so don't mess up…"

"Hmm…? You haven't even asked how old I am nor, when my birthday is…."

"9th of June…. Right?"

Nozomi looked surprised.

"I know enough about your profile… thanks to you who left everything everywhere…"

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Or my Ericchi is just that oberservant…"

"No…not really…." Eli replied a little shyly.

The purple haired girl giggled as she noticed the hint of shyness,

"Hmm…or you're just paying attention to my every detail…?"

A bright red colored the pale white skin of the blonde's,

"O-Of course… you're my lover after all, yes? Of course I need to know about you!"

"And here you are refusing to allow me to know about you, even though we're lovers…"

"T-That's because… it's not interesting! There's nothing interesting that you need to know…ok? Besides, I never asked you about anything…."

"You already know me from looking after me for a month—and exploring my house…"

"Then, you'll have to do the same…." Eli averted her eyes,

"You said I won't find anything here…it's like you have nothing else but that room…. It's not fair since I won't know if it's yours or theirs… and I believe that you will be very uncooperative about it."

"Fine! I'll show you somewhere else, but you have to examine it on your own—and I'll give you a month for it… whatever result you have about it, that would be all you get from me…."

"My, are we playing a game now?"

"If you want to call it as that…" Eli replied nervously.

"Then I'll take your challenge… one month should be more than enough to reveal you…"

* * *

The Police station;

As Niko, Honoka, and Rin enter the office,

"Aah! Honoka! Welcome back!" a brown and short haired woman ran to Honoka and hugged her tightly.

"W-wa-waah! Tsubasa-chan!"

"Tsubasa! Come back here!" A powerful voice coming from another room.

"E-Erena! It's alright! We're not in a hurry yet…" said a gentle voice.

"but, Anjuu, that person needs to realize that the world—no…the entire galaxies are in grief danger…"

"I know! We all know! But do we really have to hurry and set everything up right now?" Tsubasa protested.

"We have to prepare, yes!" Erena replied angrily.

"That's too soon! We don't even know our enemies!"

"That's why we send them, right?" Erena pointed at Niko, Honoka and Rin.

"Waaah! Don't point at us like that-nya! That's scary!" Rin said.

"Yeah!" Tsubasa pouts at her.

"Hah! Either way, I hope three of you are here to report…" Erena crossed her arms.

"Pretty much, also to register our brand new ship…" Niko said proudly.

"Huh?"

Erena, Anjuu and Tsubasa flustered before they quickly ran to the window to look outside. A majestic and powerful looking ship was docked in view, even the guards were examining every detail of the ship. They couldn't believe their eyes as they saw how great it looked—not even to believe that it was actually theirs…

"W-wow….." they said in awe.

"See? Cool isn't it?" Niko said.

"Y-yeah…. How did you even get that….?" Erena said in awe.

"Long story, but basically, Eli-chan and Nozomi-chan made the design. Even though Nozomi-chan was a little uncooperative at the time, she still helped a lot under Eli-chan's request." Honoka replied,

"Eli-chan? Nozomi-chan? You mean… Ayase Eli and Toujou Nozomi?" Anjuu asked.

"Yup!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"The infamous killer and cold blooded soldier being together is already a miracle… how did that even happen…?" Erena said.

"Cold blooded soldier, huh? I've heard about that but she seems so nice… just a little uncommunicative…" Niko said.

"Nozomi-chan is kind too, why don't we see her kindness instead?"

"Sorry, but that is what the history says about them, we can't forget that…" Erena said.

"Yes…sadly, we can't… it has already been written, we can't undo it…" Anjuu said.

"Hnn..Tsubasa-chan, what do you say?" Honoka asked.

"Eh? Well, it will be a lie if I said I disagree, but… hey, it's true we can't change history, but we can do better for the future, right? I'll see that helping them building such a majestic ship is a good first step…" Tsubasa said,

"But, we can't just see it as that, I think we better examine the ship before anything, see if there's anything that could be of danger…." Erena said.

"I hate to say that I'll do the same, knowing that the person who built it has such a bad record…" Anjuu said.

"Then let's check it out…"

* * *

Terra—the soldier's dorm;

After reverting back into their own suits, Eli returned to the dorm along with Nozomi next to her. Though something seemed to have happened before they arrive,

Maki, Umi and a group of people were talking with each other…and by how it looked, they didn't seem to in good terms each other.

"What do you mean we are having conspiracy? We don't have any idea with what you're saying. We just reported that a suspicious guy was after the server room!" Maki yelled.

"yes—but as we focused our eyes on him, his buddies came and stole ten of our best ships… you both are helping him with his job…to take our attention to him and weaken our guard on another part…" a woman said roughly.

"That's not our fault, we reported it because we thought it was necessary…" Umi tried to convince.

"What's happening here…" Eli said sternly as she stepped into the group.

"Ah—Ayase-san…." The woman started to get slightly flustered.

Eli glared at the woman, staring her down from head to toe, and noticing the person's dark brown uniform with less details and no badge attached to her top.

"What are beginner discipline committee members doing here…?" she intimidated them,

"W-well…Ayase-san, we received a report from them about the suspicious man we just caught a while back… and apparently, his job was to change our focus to him while his companions stole our best ships…"

"From which dock…." Eli asked.

They smirked nervously,

"First Falcon, Upper Dock…" one of them said nervously.

"Falcon only exists in the lower docks…." Eli replied.

They began to get flustered again,

"W-well, we must've mistaken it, but, the big deal here is, they were helping the man to take our attention…" one of them said again,

"Mmm…. The last time I saw the man arrested, there were only five guards chasing after him…" Nozomi said with a teasing smile.

"…and there would always be about 200 guards working at one shift… so if you say you got your best ship stolen because 5 guards were batting an eye to one man…." Eli frowned.

They seemed to not be able to answer,

"F-Fine then! We let you go this time!" they said before they stormed away.

"Wait…." Eli called them coldly.

The group stopped,

"You're new to this kind of thing, right? So I hope you know your position well…" she continued,

The group seems to be bothered as they heard it.

"I'm not going to say anything to the minister for now, but I'll warn you…. we are not for display…so don't even try to arrest us using fake excuses… that trick is too old…" she said coldly.

And with that, the group was silenced and they left without any other words coming out from their mouths.

Maki and Umi sighed heavily.

"That's trouble some…" Umi said.

"Yeah…can't believe they were trying to fake an arrest…"

"Put that aside though, Ericchi seems to know a lot about that…. are you experienced in such things?" Nozomi asked,

Eli smirked,

"I wouldn't know if I have never experienced it…"

She replied shortly as she walked further into room and began to search for something as she reached her bed.

"Just be careful and think clearly when you meet anyone like that, I can't watch over all of you for 24/7…." She continued before she walks out again after she picked up a card.

"Thanks, Eli, we could've been in the detention room without you…" Umi said politely.

"Yeah. You kinda save us there…." Maki said.

"I'm going to show Nozomi around, can you do the dinner tonight?" Eli asked as she glanced towards her blue haired junior.

"Yes, I'll do it…" Umi replied.

"Great, thanks…."

* * *

The Police station—inside the navigator room of the fake-pirate ship;

Tsubasa, Anjuu and Erena just finished examining the newly built ship, they don't find anything suspicious or looks dangerous other than the self-destruct button which was hidden under the floor near the pilot seat, sealed very tightly to prevent it from accidentally pressed—or being pressed by an unwanted person.

"I guess this ship is very well detailed and can't believe to say that this is also ten times better than our best ship…" Erena said—somethat excited,

"We can copy this ship's blue print, did they give it to you?" Anjuu asked.

"Eh? No, sadly, I doubt they have the right one either—there are a lot of things that changed from the original plan and they're all not written down…. Thanks to Nozomi, she was too lazy to make the blueprint for us…" Niko said.

Anjuu and Erena turned to each other,

"Then we have to hurry up and make one on our own before anything bad happens to this ship…" Anjuu said.

"Yes, let's do that…." Erena agree with a slight nod.

"But anyhow, have this ship got a name?" Tsubasa asked.

"Huh? A name for this ship? It's not important, we can always name it fake-pirate ship…" Erena said.

"Uhn…actually, the ship already has a name…" Honoka said.

"W-what? When?" Niko asked.

"Ehhh! Uh…well… Nozomi-chan is the one who came up with the idea… I haven't actually decided it but Kotori-chan and Umi-chan agreed with it…Eli-chan too didn't seem to mind it….so….I thought, it's already the name of the ship…"

"Oh—then, what's the name?" Tsubasa asked.

"µ's…." Honoka said.

"Huh? Why does it sounds like an idol group than a pirate ship?" Niko raised her eyebrow,

"Hmm..yeah…it really sounds like an Idol group…" Anjuu giggled,

"Not like our name is any better…." Erena replied with a smirk.

"W-what?! A-rise is a good name! It's like we're actually trying to awaken some kind of Goddess or something!"

"People can always judge us as pesky cheeky necromancers, you know?"

"That's why we prove them wrong with our actions…we're the police! Besides, no one has ever complained about it but you…." Tsubasa said proudly.

"Fine… but hey— let's put that aside now. we better hurry and get this ship's design saved in our office…" Erena said.

"Right… let's go…"

And before they were able to do anything, a phone call came from the navigator machine, Rin ran over and quickly accepted it,

"Hello-nya?"

"R-Rin-Rin-chan! Oh! Thanks God! I thought we will never be able to contact you…"

"E-eh? Kayo-chin, what happen nya?"

* * *

Terra— The Main Square;

Eli walked along with Nozomi next to her, as the air around them felt heavy with curiosity and unfriendly looks, or that's what the certain blonde felt, she swore that she could feel everyone's eyes on them. Nozomi noticed the anxious look in Eli's eyes… though she kept quiet and walk along with her while enjoying the look from the other's eyes that would probably be an expression of their hate and jealousy.

"Ericchi… I'm not sure about this, but, are they watching us now?" Nozomi asked with a whisper,

"Yes..just ignore them and let's keep moving…" Eli replied.

"But, that won't be fun, should we walk with our hands held—like a lover?" Nozomi asked with a playful smile,

"What are you even trying to go with that, you're new here and they probably will bully you…" Eli said as she sighed.

"Mmm…bullies, I like them, I like to chew on them…."

"Nozomi, you've caused enough trouble today… can we save that for tomorrow?"

"I don't even know when it's day or night… can't even see the sun…."

"Terra's day and night settings are shown from the window…." The blonde replied as she hinted a gesture to the window, where a hollographic view of the earth's sky could be seen. It showed that the sky was still bright with a hint of orange painting the horizon in some parts, making a perfect blend between the two colors which made it look beautiful.

"So it's close to dusk, huh?" Nozomi said.

"You see it yourself…."

"This is sad though, they're only a computer image… I bet they don't have any other ways to copy the beautiful sky…" Nozomi said with a slight mockery in her voice.

"That's how it has always been… but don't you think it's better this way?" Eli asked.

"What do you mean?"

"To begin with, it all started from an argument, how do we want the world to advance, do we take the Cyber Technology as our life insurance or through the gift of magic… both sides are against each other, and both sides have a different way to treat the world. The magician proved that they're capable of reviving the old world as they make those lush and wonderful nature grow ten times better than the old days, while Terra,… they proved that they are capable of giving life to specific amount of people—even though their rule about who is allowed to live and who is not are a little harsh for a few people's point of view…."

"It's no different than the earth, you know… the strong and lucky ones will survive, the weak and unfortunate will die...even though it's not clearly seen on earth, those rules have always existed… that's why many people agreed to be a pirate—I mean…only those people who agree with the idea of living from other's misery and those who want to escape from reality…"

Eli smirked slightly,

"So it's not much different there…..?"

"Nope, not that much… but to be fair, Ericchi, grass is always greener on the other side. I've known that for a long time, but alas, I didn't decide to move here because I see it that way, it was because I thought it would be better to start from zero than from a negative point in life…"

"You caused a few troubles already though…and…look….people hate you because you're so close to me…"

"Oh they'll get over it…. sooner or later… you're not the only cool student here, right? There's still Umi-chan and Maki-chan?" Nozomi grabbed her soldier's arms, clinging close to her romantically,

"Yes…right..and everyone see us as one unit…. This kind of…scandal…. Will surely cause a big ruckus somehow…"

"It won't…. or, even if it really did, I'll make sure they get what they deserve…"

"Nozomi….." Eli sighed

"It won't be violence, Ericchi, I promise I won't hit anyone—unless they want me to…."

"I'll hold that promise… but it's not like I want you to completely untrain yourself in combat, ok? We will have to go in battle once in a month, so by then, I want you to be as violent as you can and survive until we finish the mission…."

"Don't worry about that, I'll absolutely will do good there…"

"I hope you're right…."

And as the two continue their way to a corridor which appeared to be a housing for families, Nozomi started to watch her surroundings in awe, she could see a lot of family gathered and taking care of their children—though something seemed different…

On earth, children aren't allowed to bring weapons, but here, they're taught how to hold one.

She swore she could see them being very serious about learning it— are children supposed to be serious?

"Ericchi…." Nozomi called.

"What?"

"Are you people taught how to hold weapons since you're a little child?"

"That's pretty much it, how else would we know how to hold a weapon properly at school? I thought you wouldn't even care about that…"

"Well, I'm sure I don't care if it was me, but these children….. they seem so serious about it, had they started to kill each other yet at their age?"

Eli remain quiet for a moment,

"Sometimes parents forced their child too much and be killed as they do, so…. They, not only start to kill each other, they also start to kill anyone in their way as well. Some people are born with ego—and no one will be able to tell them about what they're doing wrong…"

"Don't tell me you did that…."

Eli smiled as she stopped right in front of a door with the "Ayase" name right on the ownership board,

"Fortunately, I'm not that person…."

"Great, then you certainly still have your parents somewhere, right…?" Nozomi said as she curiously watched Eli unlocking the door.

"Somewhere….yes…." she opened the door at ease then entered the room along with Nozomi.

The room was surprisingly—empty….. there was nothing there but some sofa and tables that didn't even appear to be damaged or dirty—everything here still remained clean as always, though somehow it felt like no onehas lived here for a long time….

Nozomi quietly started to examine the room carefully. No photographs, no mementos, no decorations, and more importantly, there was no sign of anyone else in the room, but the two of them….and that's about it.

"So they left you…..right?"

"I thought you knew that…" Eli smirked wryly.

"I know… but…I never thought it would be this bad… I thought you were just making distance with them…. I thought it was your fault that you felt alone…"

"It was…." Eli replied a little sadly.

"Do you have any idea where they have gone to then?"

"I might, but I won't tell you…."

"Then, reach them, it might not be too late…."

"They don't need me… they're happy without…"

"Bullshit, no one need anyone to be happy, they're happy because they are, this is a whole different case, isn't it?"

"You don't understand…"

"Then explain what I don't understand… stop being difficult…"

"I can't reach them… not that I know how or why…. Let's just say that I've died for them and they're no longer exist for me…"

"My family died and I was forced to be alone—but you, you might have not been forced into it yet. You might still have hope…"

"No—I have no hope for them—I have different things to do, I have my own life now and they have their own…"

"Fuck that, fuck your own thoughts! I don't care about what happened between you and your family, they're still your family—and as long as they breathe, they will forever be your family, a part of you…"

"Mind your words! But either way, it's not like that! I'm not someone who fought with my family and started to get all sad and pretend that I'm a victim. I'm not that kind of idiot!"

"Then what is it? Why did you not reach them?"

"Because I love them! I don't want them to see me like this! It's better that I no longer exist to them. "

"Bullshit! You're talking like love is just coming from one side… or …maybe, you would do the same to the family member that's having the same misfortune as you?"

"I wouldn't!"

"Then why do you think that way about your family? You know you should think positive about them! Maybe they will accept you for whoever you are as a person!"

"I'm no longer the person they expect— I can't be! I've lost what I can give to them and I'll never be able to return it…."

"Don't be such a retard! What do you not have? You're beautiful, you're strong, you're clever, and you're reliable… everyone wants you, why not your family?"

"I still don't want to show up to them… I don't want to see them sad…."

"They will be more than happy to see you back, I'm very sure… and that's only if you're really not a retard who fought with a family member and go all the way to your own sorrow… it's not too late, come on!"

"You really don't understand it! It doesn't go like that!"

"Explain! Don't just keep saying the same thing, if you're just doing that, I'll forever judge you as that kind of retard!"

Eli put a a palm to her face, trying to calm down before she started to think for a moment—then she dragged Nozomi further in, leading her to a smaller room where the door seemed to be naturally unlocked,

The room was somehow still full of decorations and—there were plenty of trophies here and there… then to the side, a lot of photos of a little girl—a very happy looking little girl dancing with beautiful dresses, then it stopped after as the girl appear to be older than eight years old.

"Here, this is all I can tell you… I doubt my explanation will convince you— so, just like what we talked about before, I want you to figure it out on your own… then for whatever result that comes out after, I won't care…as long as you're not judging me as those over-dramatic retards…"

Nozomi remained quiet as she started to examine everything around her, then she paused when she noticed a few trophies set inside a glass display.

"Trophies…" Nozomi said.

"Those are for the dancing competition…. My family has been living from the world of entertainment, none of them is mine though…"

"None of it is yours…. Huh? But why would this place need an entertainer? Or let's say, dancer? Don't all this place need is people who're strong enough to deal with war?"

"I told you before, right? After you graduate, you're free to choose how you want to get through your life…. Many would just continue their life in military unit because that is all they can do—but some who have passion will be allowed to do what they wish to contribute for the community…"

"Just like Maki-chan and music, hmm?"

"I have no idea how you know that she has a passion in music…"

"She sort of showed that off when she played the piano every midnight in Hanayo's Inn, the entire village can hear it, you know…."

"Right, but yes, that's pretty much it…."

"Then what about Umi-chan? What is she planning to do for her future?"

"I think she prioritized on protecting the galaxy, she has a passion in battle herself…"

"I see…then next, for Ericchi, I assume this is what Ericchi wanted to be back then…." She glanced to the dancer photographs.

Eli smirked,

"You see it…."

"…but you can't because your arm is replaced—and you believe you can't possibly be showing that part of you as a dancer which is supposed to show elegancy and beauty…" Nozomi continued.

"….I'm glad you're smart enough for it…."

"Everyone can see that after looking at these, silly, it's not a secret…."

"That's not the real secret…. There's something else…"

"Then it should be about how you lost your arm?"

"A hundred pair of eyes witnessed it as it happened, it's not a real secret either…."

"Then…I guess, that would be about who you're losing it for…?"

Eli remained quiet.

"I'm taking that as a yes…."

And still no response from the blonde.

Nozomi sighed weakly before she started to head out of the room,

"Nozomi…" Eli called.

"Hmmm….?"

"Where are you going…."

"I'm going to find this rival of yours, she should be my next clue, right?"

"Eir? She is not going to cooperate with you! Don't go there!"

"Then how else would I know? You're limiting your cooperation, so I have to try to get the knowledge from her… however it is.."

"No! I'll tell you, please don't go to her…" the blonde quickly grabbed her hands.

"My…aren't you just panicked now, Ericchi?" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Eli, realizing her act, she blushed madly.

"No….it just that—I…I don't want you to meet her…." she said as she released her hands from the girl in front of her.

"And why is that….?"

"Because—P-Put that aside now! You want to know who I was losing my arm for, right? Then It would be for someone I like…." She said quickly.

Nozomi giggled,

"How classic, losing an arm for the one you like, did you get her heart in the end? Or she didn't make it?" she asked—somewhat mockingly.

"She made it… but it was the opposite, she…didn't like me anymore…. She said I was so stupid so she….doesn't want me…. Eir won her instead…."

"Ohh..? So you lost from her, huh? That's why you said she used to be a rival? How precious…I thought the rivalry would be a lot more for an actual warrior rivalry…."

Eli remained silent.

"But…." Nozomi widen her smile,

She walk to approach the beautiful blonde as their eyes met each other,

"….you are not going to worry about her again, right? Because you have me?" she ran her fingers throught the blonde's hair, slowly bringing it down to her chest, seducing her with her gentle touches,

Eli couldn't say a word as her eyes were glued to those beautiful turquoise orbs which slowly leaned in closer and closer until a pair of gentle lips touched the other, from soft pecks until it eventually turned into deep kisses where their tongues started to play their roles.

As Eli started to trail down her kisses against the latter's neck,

"Ericchi—you said there won't be any private place…. This is a private place, you know?"

Eli kept quiet while kissing her neck—then trailed up to give a small peck on the lips

"If we keep returning here from time to time, people will know—besides, this place isn't quite a private place, sometimes guards will come in without permission to examine and cleaning robots will also come in to do their job… the schedule is random, so we can never know for sure…"

Nozomi pushed Eli further to the wall, kissed her softly and trailed her hands all over her shoulder.

"Hmm… would they bother you in your intimacy…?"

"They would….because they like to. They'll think it's a game…and will put it up as a journal…"

"Journal….?"

"Yes… they have a box in the bulletin board where they will display all captured events in Terra, and they called it a Journal Corner, there's not much that can be shown around here so they have to snoop around for it…. or make a small news turn into a big news with touch of humor…"

"Mmm…. That sounds fun…."

"Not really, sometimes their jokes are too cruel… but everyone is forced to get over it… even though it's a big shame to one individual…"

"A mental practice, they're trying to grow a shameless personality, and a community that's aware of other's problem but reacted differently with each other… it's actually a nice concept if supported with enough knowledge… or let's say, a concept that I apply to my students…"

"You can say that because you get over yourself so quick and used to having infamous names, but what about the others? Not everyone can get over it…"

"That's why they have to learn to stop thinking about what people see about them…and make them see as what they want to be…"

"Big words coming from someone who hates to be judged…"

"Well, no one likes to be judged, but the earth has a different concept of social life, you know… it's always about back stabbing each other, look good in front of each other and act in other's favor… or let's just say, because this place holds that actual honesty–Mmmhhh….."

Eli shuts her up with a deep and passionate kiss,

"it's not actual honesty, it still favors those who have the power of media…it's just as bad… that's why I choose to not care about them—nor do anything extravagant that will grasp their attention…" she said as she started to grope her breasts.

And the two pressed their lips together,

"Says the most popular student…" Nozomi whispered after their lips parted slightly,

"I'm just doing what I think is best and it brought me here…. It wasn't my fault…. I don't want to be popular…" Eli replied with a soft whisper,

Nozomi giggled,

"Is that so? Then I suppose my idea of breaking everyone's heart by claiming you is the best idea…."

"You don't know what that will do to you…"

"You won't know the result if you haven't even tried…. Maybe they'll start to pair me with you…because we can show them that we're a happy couple"

She giggled,

"It will also satisfy you as you know how they truly feel about you…" she continued before they pressed each others lips again—Eli traveled her hands down to Nozomi's hips then up to her back slowly, feeling every single curve etched onto the girl's figure that she had always loved from the very beginning. The perfect body shape she always loved to touch—and the exotic scent which no longer will be a stranger to her nose, she kissed her gently and carefully through her neck, even though part of it was covered by the tight suit against her skin—Nozomi could still enjoy Eli's tender, luscious lips,which give off a warm sensation, perfectly emphasized in the cold room.

Though as they were about to strip each other off their suits… they heard the door open.

"….Man, I can't believe they were found masturbating inside the server room—I blame the lack of privacy allowed in this place…" the voice gave away that the person was a man.

The couple quickly parted from each other and acted like they were in the middle of a casual hang out as they sat on the bed apart from each other.

"yeah dude, and they fell exhausted too—and looked a little frozen… no wonder man, who the hell masturbates in the server room… and it's in bad timing too…"

"It just a pile of misfortune, I swear they'll be spending lot of time in the detention room…." He sighed,

"…..that's a tough place… you can't even move your neck…damned discipline committee… they can't be more abusive as they are…"

"At least they learned enough after they faked an arrest on that Ayase Eli, thanks to her man… she really taught them well… that minister decision though, sending them to the testing squad—and on a tough planet too. Only one person returned and in critical condition…"

"Yeah…can't believe the earth can be that scary…."

"Teach them a lesson to not try to do that again…but eh, anyway, wonder why that Ayase Eli hasn't sold this room, does she want to keep it for her future?"

"Don't know man, but hey, those Valkyries look like they want to recruit her… she really will have to sell this room by then….

"Oh, true… that's such a heavy burden though, I mean like, man, to leave everything behind and eternally bound oneself to the the battle field… you have to either dispose all emotion or just never ever have them… it's like all your life is dedicated to protect the entire galaxy… except this life will be endless in their case…"

"That's painful man…."

Suddenly, they heard a polite knock on the door,

"W-whoa! Valkyrie Minami, you surprised me…" said one of the guards, Nozomi widen her eyes as she heard the name.

A very gentle giggle,

"You two… it's only the second day of us encountering each other…." A familiar voice that Nozomi used to hear,

"Haha. Sorry… but your foot step are so quiet, never expected it coming!"

"Yeah…"

They all giggled awkwardly.

"W-what brings you here, Valkyrie Minami?" one of them asked,

"Me? I'm just a little curious… this is Ayase Eli's home, right?"

"Yeah… but she rarely comes to visit here…."

"I see… then can you two do me a favor?"

"What is it, Valkyrie Minami?"

"Please let me stay here for a moment…."

"Ohhh! Ok! That's fine! We will go on and return here again after two hours… is that enough?"

"Yes, that's enough time. I just want to get to know her a bit…"

"Alright, then off we go!"

And the two guards left the room. Valkyrie Minami, looking around for a moment before she turned to the door and close it carefully.

She smiled softly,

"I know there's a mage around here… and I would like you to come out…."

Eli turned her eyes to Nozomi.

"Don't worry, I won't harm you…. not if you come here in peace…."

Nozomi smiled before she stood up and walked out of the room, Eli was a little panicked, though she could see how relaxed Nozomi was… she decided to just follow her….

"Valkyrie Minami….huh?" Nozomi said a little teasingly,

"Nozomi-chan….?" Valkyrie Minami raised her eyebrow,

"It's been a while…. Didn't expect you to be what you are now… I thought you'll be a cookie by now…"

The light grey armored valkyrie laughed,

"Nozomi-chan…and Ayase Eli… I can't believe I can see you two together…. Have the heaven and hell merged by now?"

"You can say that…. but it's not going to be any worse before your people fall into the trap…"

"Trap? Is that what you want to tell us? I doubt such a person like you would leave Earth without a reason…"

"Pretty much, but there will be more I can tell you…but not now….I have something else to do…"

"Nozomi! If it's important, you better tell them quickly! Put aside all of our—" Eli complained.

"Sssh….Ericchi, I'm talking to her…." Nozomi hushed her with a playful smile and a finger on Eli's lips,

As Eli's eyes focused on her finger—which trailing down to her shoulder slowly, she blushed slightly,

"Oh….are you two…..?" the older woman smiled,

"Yes, we're lovers…. Me and her, surprising….right?"

"Not really, there's this aura…. and I suppose the deal will be personal, but anyway, when will you want to tell us about it in details?"

"Give me about a month…. And please return with the representatives of each planet so I don't need to explain twice…"

"Understood… do you want me to tell the leader about you?"

"Nope, I'm fine with this… it's a lot more exciting this way… you can focus on your duty…"

"Got it, then I'll take my leave and let you two have your own special time…"

"W-wait! Valkyrie Minami! Can you explain me what's happening here? How could you two talk like—…."

And Valkyrie Minami placed her finger on her lips.

"Sssh…. It doesn't matter, just take care of your own problems first…. Eli…"

Eli stopped, she couldn't be any more confused than this.

"….you're a student, just do your work and take care of the challenges given to you…"

"….w-what about her? Why do you let her—…"

"She is a lot more capable than what you think…" the valkyrie cuts in as Eli tried to protest.

Nozomi smiled innocently,

"There now, it's like you know how she looks at me…"

"It naturally goes like that, for a person like Eli—or at least, that's what everyone think about her… she is the person who always worries about others but not herself…"

Nozomi giggled, completely agreeing to the statement,

"I can agree with that completely…"

Eli frowned at the two…

"It's not like you're not doing the same though…" Valkyrie Minami said to Nozomi.

"I worry about myself, that's the major reason why I'm here…."

Valkyrie Minami giggled at her,

"Excuses, but anyway… how's my daughter? Does she still cry a lot?"

"Nope, Kotori-chan is a very tough person…she took care of me well…"

"Is that so? I hope she isn't too noisy…."

"Nah—she's not, she is a sweet girl, I can assure you. She always does her job…"

"Really? I'm glad…"

"You should be proud of her…"

"I always am… then, what about that Koizumi girl?"

"Hanayo-chan? She is doing great. Her farm land is growing so big…"

"I'm glad…. then about school?"

"I left my job… I think I want to focus here—on working on my new life and to repay my debt…"

"Debt?"

"I'm in debt with her….I destroyed her family memento, so I want to make up for it…" Nozomi glanced at Eli,

"Oh?"

"It doesn't matter anymore…you don't need to do anything…" Eli pitched in,

"That can't be, the debt has to be paid…no matter how hard it is…"

"I'm afraid it's actually hard though, Nozomi-chan…"

"Hmm…? How hard?"

"Like extremely hard, because her family escaped from here, not leaving legally. We don't know where they went… and alas we will never know how to track them since the possibility of them being in another galaxy is high… we've tried to search as we looked for recruits and not even a single clue appeared…"

"I see…. then we just have to try harder, right?"

Then as she said it, a very loud alarm roared outside the room. The three remain quiet for a moment…

"Is that your ice cream truck sound Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

Eli put a palm on her face,

"That's the clinic emergency alarm…." She said.

"I was about to say that doesn't sounds fun… but alright, I can accept that as an emergency alarm…"

"We better check it out…"

* * *

**I'm sorry about the ending of this chapter,**

**I was confused of how to make the sound of alarm feels more like a hint of the next chapter, trying to add dramatic essence to the cliff hanger but then an ice cream truck passed by...and...idk...my head just give me that idea...**

**see you next chapter lol.**


	19. Dangerous Fanatics

**ok, here is next chapter~**

**Thanks for support/ reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**and thanks to people who've been trying so hard to make a review even though they can't speak english. I really appreciate and love them all. I had to use google translate tho lol. **

**Thanks to Crimson for Edits too!**

* * *

The Terra's clinic;

"Catch him!" a guard shouted as he ran through the hall, chasing after the same man who was caught as an intruder near the server room—still in his fake techinician uniform.

As he kept running, the man reached out to the pocket on his leg to search for something.

He dashed up the stairs with the guards still in chase, and took out a small slim knife causing a few people to be aware of him and ready to dodge when needed. A few workers quickly attempted to catch him—though as they got a little closer, he swiftly ran his small knife through their necks. The man's attacks were really fast as he worked through them professionally, the workers who attacked him were hardly able to dodge. Seeing that, some of the workers fell and started to stand back to keep themselves safe.

Few of the guards were still running after him while he kept escaping from their grasp with his agile steps. He turned his gaze as it fell upon a specific red haired woman in a doctor uniform,

And in that very moment, he turned his route drastically—jumping onto the woman with his knife lifted up to the sky.

At the same time, a huge lightning bolt horizontally zipped through the crowd, arriving just when the man was about to bring his knife down on the woman under him. Brilliant grey armored woman appeared in a graceful speed, crushing the man with her powerful fist, making him fall from his place as the knife flew from his hand, landing in the other side of the room.

"Phew…. That was a close one…" Valkyrie Minami said with a quick sigh of relief,

The red haired woman stared at the other woman in awe as the ringing alarm finally stopped.

"Valkyrie Minami!" Eli ran in with Nozomi right behind her.

"Ah, there you are… " she smiled at them.

The guards quickly ran in to grab the criminal and once again dragged out of the place.

"Oh… Professor Nishikino…" Eli said.

"Eli…." The red haired woman responded,

"I'm glad you're fine… a few of your workers are wounded, they were instantly taken for treatment though…."

"Good, I wonder what that was man up to? Why did he suddenly target me?"

"I'm not sure either…sadly…. But I can sense magic in him…"

"Magic…? What is a magic wielder doing here?"

"He is an intruder… Professor, he was caught in the server room and somehow escaped and got all the way here…." Nozomi said.

"Is that so?"

And as Professor Nishikino said it, Maki and Umi ran in to join them.

"Mama!" Maki shouted before she quickly approached her mother and grabbed her by the shoulders,

"Mama…are you ok, Mama?" Maki asked in panic.

"There-there, Maki-chan, I'm still standing here…" Professor Nishikino replied with a smile on her face,

"Oh…true…." Maki quickly released her and scratched her head shyly.

They giggled at the younger red-head,

"I-I-I was just worried ok? I heard he targeted you so I quickly ran all the way here….. that's something normal! Why are you all laughing at me! I don't get it!"

"You don't need to play hard, Maki-chan…" her mother replied.

"Sh-Sheesh! Mama!" Maki pouts.

As they were having their own conversation, Umi kept staring at the brilliantly armored woman, she noticed the color of the hair, the familiar face and—the hair style that she knew very well…

"E-Excuse me, Valkyrie!" Umi called nervously as the Valkyrie Minami turned at her,

"A-Are you familiar with….Kotori Minami?" Umi asked.

Valkyrie Minami tilted her head slightly,

"You know my daughter too? That's a surprise…"

"you didn't seem so surprised when I was the one who appeared to know something…" Eli raised one of her eyebrows.

"That's because you always have loved to stalk the Earth, won't be a surprise… but hey, I'd like to hear about how you know my daughter and what kind of relationship you have with her…"

"I-It's a long story! B-b-but I swear! She is only a friend!" Umi replied in panic.

"Of course she is your friend… I was just asking if it's a good kind of friendship or bad one…" Valkyrie Minami replied, slightly flustered from the panicked response.

"W-W-well…!"

"Hmm…I think we should find a room, this is not somewhere you can chat freely…" Professor Nishikino said.

They looked at each other before they all agreed with a slight nod.

* * *

At the other side of the space;

"Is it too tight nya?" Rin asked the two mages who were wearing their police outfit and experiencing their first time in space.

"Uhhn…I..I don't know…" Kotori said doubtfully,

"It feels weird, but it's not tight. We're just not used to this kind of fashion…" Hanayo said.

"Yeah, I think so too…." Kotori added,

"Hehe, then you'll have to get used to it-nya… because you shouldn't remove the clothing here—first because it's your only warmth source, then second because it also protects you from scratching against tools-nya…"

"W-well…. I was wondering why these armors feel so light too…. It's like I have no weight…" Kotori looked amazed while checking out the outfit on her.

"You won't have it until you reach a planet with gravity force or at Terra, because Terra has an artificial gravity…" Niko pitched in.

Kotori, Hanayo and Rin turned at her,

"Putting that aside, I wonder who give you the idea of 'collecting porn book means joining the dark side….I still can't understand it…." Niko said.

"Uh…well…it was Nozomi-chan herself…. She told us that people who collect porn book are they who live in the dark side…"

"What kind of logic is that…." Niko smirked,

"Uh….I don't actually know what porn books are used for, nor do I understand it's content. Those are only books with naked people posing?" Hanayo said.

"I don't understand it either-nya!"

"Me three! Although I know they're erotic, I still don't get what they use the book for…. Is it related to the Marionette magic? Like, the list of poses that can be done?" Kotori added the question.

"Huh….? How the hell do you know it's erotic if you don't know its function then?"

"Uh…well…actually, the first time I encountered that kind of thing is when I was a little. I was in the woods with my mother—and..uh…we accidentally saw two men and one woman, doing lewd things. I asked to my mother and she said, it's not something I should be bothered with for now…and I should ignore them...i thought it would be fine to ignore it, but then, I was so curious so….I asked Nozomi-chan… then she told me, they were doing a ritual for their dark path… it's called rape…"

"Well…two men and one woman doing lewd things, huh? Well… it is certainly not a good thing to do, but, hey, doing such lewd things doesn't always mean rape, you know… but duh, poor you for seeing it in such an early age. Truth is, some are willing to do it—like, for the actual purpose of that kind of thing…"

"The actual purpose?" Kotori tilts her head slightly. Hanayo seemed to be paying attention too.

"You don't know, huh? Sheesh, I would complain if you always have been living with your parents, but knowing your background—I'll explain you how it actually is…" Niko sighed weakly,

"You see... sexual act is actually a way to reproduce… I suppose you know reproduction right?"

"Oh….? Well…I know it's biology stuff…" Kotori said.

"Well…yes…but the thing is, in order to actually reproduce, you need a couple with the opposite sex to do such things and they're only allowed to do it after they're married due to some circumstance that make such act dangerous for health…"

"I know that part—my mother told me about that, but she said, marriage was the only thing that have to be happened in order to purify the dark spirit?"

"W-what? Don't tell me, you told your mother about what Nozomi told you and she said that?"

"Yeah…."

"Wow…. Why would she say that, but eh—having sex doesn't mean that you'll move on the dark side, it's going to be a dark side if you live from doing it or just do it for pleasure without love…" Niko said.

Then suddenly, someone laughed,

The three turned towards the laughing person,

"What's with this conversation? I'm interested!" Tsubasa said a little too cheerfully.

"Tsubasa…. Don't lead them to astray!" Erena protested.

"I haven't even said anything!" Tsubasa retorted.

"You'll be doing that in three minutes!"

"Uhh! Question!" Kotori cuts in,

"Yes?" Tsubasa and Niko turned at her,

"I know it's only the opposite sex that can reproduce. Then what Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan did that day was really a dark thing to do, right?"

"What did they do?" Tsubasa asked,

Niko smirked,

"W-wow, so I wasn't the only one who knew… but hey, we never know. maybe they are in love, maybe they're doing it for pleasure only… either way, it's their own business, we shouldn't—…"

"Ha-ha-ha! That's called Wild Love!" Tsubasa cuts in.

"Wild Love?" Hanayo, Rin and Kotori asked,

"Yes, It's called wild love! It's like pulling out a wild card! Because what they're trying to do is to know if they're in love or not… so they have to give it a shot…" Tsubasa continued.

"The heck? Where you get that idea?!" Niko protested.

"Tsubasa…." Erena put a palm on her own face.

"Can you imagine? When you have this kind of attraction—where you suddenly really want to have someone to be close to you! It's an inevitable feeling and the only thing you can do that time is to gaze in the eyes painfully, wondering if they're your soulmate or not… and since you both have the same gender, you won't have any fear of getting an extra responsibility…even though you know it's wrong…"

Kotori, Hanayo, and Rin remained quiet but started to get a little flustered,

"…. You still really want to do it—to try to see if that person is your true love! You want to be intimate, you want to be close, and you want to be treated….even though the world will hate you later…"

"Anjuu….please say something…." Erena said as she massaged her temples,

"Tsubasa…. Don't say something like that…" Anjuu said.

"Huh? I'm not wrong, right?" Tsubasa said.

"Well, you see Tsubasa, if you're giving that kind of explanation, it's like you're giving permission for someone to force someone else to make love…"

"Eh? Really? I didn't mean it like that…" Tsubasa said.

Anjuu turned to Kotori, Hanayo, and Rin,

"If I have to make it clear about how it is exactly, Nozomi and Eli are a couple who's still questioning their true feelings with each other, they are adventurous, they're experimental, and they want to know about each other—and seeking for a way to be comfortable… so they're doing it…" Anjuu explained.

"Anjuu! That's doesn't make it any better! Is it even what the topic is about!?" Erena protested.

"Oh? No?That's what I understand from the topic…" Anjuu put a finger of her chin, replying the conversation in her head.

"You're clearly going to the side topic but not at the main topic…" Niko smirked.

"What's the main topic?"

"Let's just forget that! Basically! You're not allowed to do that kind of thing before marriage! There's a lot of risks to go through, if it doesn't turn out like how you think it will be! Which means, always play in the safe zone!" Erena yelled.

"Yes, that's right, Police woman Erena, we should encourage everyone to always play it safe…" Tsubasa said playfully.

"I wonder why you are the leader!" Erena protested.

"That's because I'm awesome and you're not!" Tsubasa said proudly.

"Tsubasa!"

And just before Erena could grab Tsubasa,

"Aaah! Everyoneee!" shouted Honoka, who has been driving the ship the whole time.

"Ah! There's my hero, what is it, Honoka?" Tsubasa asked.

"We're close to dock! Prepare yourself!"

* * *

The Nishikino residence, Living Room;

A long blank white board hung on the wall, adjacent to where they were sitting. Valkyrie Minami, Professor Nishikino, Eli, Nozomi, Maki, and Umi were all sitting on the red lounging sofa in the room. As Umi explained everything to Valkyrie Minami and Professor Nishikino, Nozomi kept looking at the blank white board curiously.

"Ericchi…" Nozomi asked softly.

Eli turned at her,

"Is that a piece of art?" she asked.

"I wouldn't know. Maybe it is or maybe it's just there for it's use…" Eli replied.

"You're still using white board? I thought you'll be using digital stuff?"

"Maybe someone was having fun with doodling on the wall….it's a lot more effective to use the normal white board than the digital ones for that useless purpose." Eli said as she glanced at Maki.

Nozomi giggled,

"That's possible, but maybe we should actually ask when Umi-chan is done with explanation…"

And the two decided to remain quiet as they waited for Umi to finish her story.

Few minutes passed,

Valkyrie Minami giggled softly at the end of her explanation,

"….I'm sorry, is there anything funny, Valkyrie Minami?" Umi asked.

"No…not quite, I just find it funny at how you all act so surprised about Nozomi-chan… I thought it was just my daughter that was still too innocent to understand her… but anyhow, I'm really glad that you were able to survive in the said condition…" she replied,

"I'm pretty sure that's a very realistic story about Maki-chan too…" Professor Nishikino added,

"T-there! Mama! You don't need to say that!" Maki protested,

Both the older woman laughed amusedly.

"By the way, Professor Nishikino, can I ask about that white board?" Nozomi asked

"Oh… that?" She turned to the white board.

"It's a white board, a very mysterious one. I just inherited it from my ancestor, it comes along with one sentence that I seem to not really understand it's true meaning… so I don't really know what else it means other than it's mysterious…." Professor Nishikino said,

"One sentence? May I know what it is?" Nozomi asked polietly.

"Well…" Professor Nishikino stood up and approached the white board,then she clicked something. As she did, a lot of short lines appreared and arranged like it would create some sort of paragraph.

"Seek for the guardians…" Professor Nishikino said,

Then the seventh sentence appeared—just the same with what Professor Nishikino said. Though it disappeared after a few minutes.

The others looked really surprised—even for Maki herself.

"M-Mama, isn't that what you told me before I entered the military too?"

"Yes, because it was told to be inherited by anyone in our family…"

"How did you get this white board?" Valkyrie Minami asked,

"Uhm… I don't know about that either, but I'm pretty sure I got it from my parents…said it's related to the oracle… but I don't know what oracle they were talking about…" she said,

"Interesting, Can we hold into this and examine it…?"

"Sorry, but I can't do that. Because like I said, it's a family memento, it's very important to us even though it has no value in market…"

"I see—my apologies, but I suppose, I'll bring a few experts too in one month… Because I'm very sure they have something that they can figure out… unless if we have someone who can decode it…"

Nozomi chuckled as she saw a hinted glance towards her from Valkyrie Minami,

"Decode that, huh? I'm sure your friend will be able to do it—after taking care of a little personal problem…" she said,

Eli sighed,

"What first comes first…Nozomi…"

"Sheesh, Ericchi, so stubborn…"

Right then someone knocked the door a little too roughly.

"Valkyrie Minami!" a rough voice.

"Ah–they're calling…" Valkyrie Minami quickly stood up and headed to the door,

"Valkyrie Minami! We need to go now!" the rough voice was apparently coming from a younger dark brown with a few strands of white haired woman, she caught a glimpse of Maki, Eli, and Umi—who they also noticed. Eli frowned slightly as she glanced away, pretending to not see her.

Nozomi peeked out—she raised her eyebrow seeing the strong-looking woman then averting eyes just like Eli.

"My…is that Eir, Ericchi?" She whispered in a relaxed tone,

Eli smirked slightly, deciding not to answer,

"Sonoda Umi, if you meet my daughter again, tell her that I really love her, ok?" she continued,

"Yes, Valkyrie Minami, I will…" Umi replied straightly. Valkyrie Minami turned her eyes to the Professor

"I'll see you in a month, Professor, be ready…" Valkyrie Minami said before she quickly left along with the younger woman—who remained cold and silent.

"Be ready, huh? I wonder what 'be ready' here means?" Professor Nishikino giggled,

"Eh—anyway, we should go home and eat our dinner, Umi cooked it already…." Maki said.

"Mmm…. Sure…" Nozomi replied with a playful smile as she saw how Eli still looked a little bitter.

* * *

Outside of Terra;

The Valkyries's space ship was still preparing to leave, Valkyrie Minami, who was outside to watch over the process, remained in her calm composure—but not until she noticed someone specific coming down from a nearby police ship that had just landed a few minutes ago.

She quickly wore her helmet—hiding her face and said in rough voice,

"Hurry up! We can't waste time here!"

The flight manager started work faster in her command,

As unfortunate as she is, even though she has tried her best to not sound like like she was shouting—the girl she feared to meet with—Kotori, her own daughter, noticed the voice and turned to her in an instant.

Though as Kotori was about to call up to her, Valkyrie Minami quickly ran to her ship and closed the door—then within seconds, the ship dispatched and disappeared into lights which fade into thin air.

Kotori couldn't say a word—not a single word even when she knew their eyes met for at least a second. Now the only thing she could do was stare into the black sky filled with scattered stars.

"Kotori-chan?" Honoka called out the said girl who was still in the door way while the others were still inside waiting for her to move.

"E-eh? Yes?" Kotori jumped a bit,

"What's wrong?" Honoka asked—a little confused,

"Ah—ahaha, it's nothing…" she replied with a fake smile which go unnoticed.

"Oh-ok!"

"Seriously though, I still don't see the point of you all being here—I mean, come on! No prostitution will take place and we all know that!" Erena said.

"It's still good if we go check if she is alright… besides, we won't stay here long since we have a lot of things to do on earth." Hanayo said.

"Yeah, just checking…" Kotori agreed.

"Ah, by the way, you are not allowed to use magic here, unless you're a member of the Valhalla Soldiers, which means you're either an Einhenjar or a Valkyrie…" Anjuu said.

"Eh? Valkyries? Isn't that a really old myth?" Kotori asked.

"Oh, no, not that Valkyries, but anyway, they're pretty legendary too. I've never seen them with my own eyes…but I heard they only recruit three of best soldiers from every planet in every year to become an einhenjar…" Anjuu replied.

"Why aren't the police allowed to use magic too?" Hanayo asked,

"Thats because we police are trained to use both cyber and magic if possible…" Tsubasa replied.

"Oh…?"

"Yeah, so since we can use cyber, so why use magic in a place where magic is actually something forbidden… it's true that most of them are not able to detect the magic itself like the mage-born, but they have eyes and they have ears—so it's still dangerous to use it here." Tsubasa continued.

"Even though they can forgive us if we used it, it's still going to be a problem if we accidentally harm anyone with it…" Anjuu added,

"But if you want a very safe travel, just stick with us and don't wander around…" Erena said.

"Yeah…."

* * *

The Soldier's Dorm room;

The Soldiers and Nozomi were having their meal, the food didn't seem to have any make impact on the trio but Nozomi. She looked like she was having a very hard time consuming it, not only because it contained only vegetables, but also because it lacked something she can chew—like meat. Even the mushroom was too soft for her.

"This is bad, why can't I feel anything to chew here! Even Ericchi's porridge have more than this soup!" Nozomi said.

"You already started eating it too so you better finish it—we're not allowed to dump food here…" Umi said as she looked into her own tablet.

"Yeah, food is highly valued…even though they're nothing compared to the Earth's food…" Maki said as she washed the dishes.

"Ericchi! Help me!" Nozomi begged,

"That's a very healthy food, you know. You should eat it and stop complaining…" Eli said as she maintained a purple tablet that she had apparently just bought a while back.

"Sheesh, Ericchi, very not romantic…" Nozomi pouts.

"I won't allow you two to be romantic in this very room… even though you're my seniors…" Umi said.

"Yes, please, don't hurt our eyes with lewd things…" Maki said.

"You hear that, Nozomi…" Eli said.

"What's wrong with being romantic with my lover? It's not like I want you two to join us!"

Umi blushed madly,

"Sharing a couple is not allowed—but it's not that it's not possible, I mean…. No! No-no-no! What am I imagining…" Umi said in frustration,

"But, I heard three of you are like, inseparable buddies? So if I have one, don't I get you two as well?" Nozomi said teasingly as he winked at the blue haired woman in the room,

"W-what? no-no, no way! I-I-I mean—!" Umi panicked, she started to ramble aimlessly.

"Umi…she is just teasing you, don't fall for it…." Eli cuts in.

"Yeah, you'll start bleeding again if you're too hyped up…" Maki added.

"I-I'm not excited! Sheesh! You two!" Umi protested again,

"Just make up your choice with that two if you want anything like that…" Eli said,

"W-what-whaaat?! What is 'that' in your context, and who are the two you're talking about?!" Umi flustered.

"Oh you know… that Squeaky bird and Honking one…" Eli said with a teasing smile.

"Eli! Now you're teasing me! Geez!" Umi's blush at this point started to rival Maki's vibrant red hair,

"Can't be helped since you're so panicked…" Eli chuckled,

"There, Eli, you're mean… you should've known that she always has a hard time with these kinds of things. Just remember the time when she accidentally accepted four girls at once…." Maki said.

"Don't remind me! I mean! It's not like that! It's—" Umi yelled and again, still aimlessly rambling.

They all laughed at her, while Umi kept rambling in panic trying to explain herself but it all went in vain,

"Now you all make me want to hurry up and have foursome fun with both of you…" Nozomi said with a mischievous smile.

"W-wh-what?!"

And from that very moment—Umi's nose began to bleed uncontrollably as she collapsed backward to the ground.

"There she goes…." Eli said.

Maki sighed as she continued with a soft laughter,

"Oh well, Umi…. Why are you so easy to fall for that…" she said,

"I believe her virgin years will be ten times longer than the average at this rate…" Nozomi said.

"Knowing her, I doubt she will ever lose her virginity if she keeps getting that nose bleed whenever we talk about intimate relation between girls…" Eli said trying to suppress a giggle.

"Are three of you only interested in females?" Nozomi asked,

"Well—not quite, I think…" Maki scratched the back of her head a little shyly,

"We just don't quite appeal with the boys around here… they're…uh…bro-zoning us…" she continued.

"Or more like we were never actually interested in love affairs…if you didn't force me, I wouldn't be in this…." Eli looked at the purple haired girl.

"Just deal with it Ericchi, I'm your girlfriend now… but anyway, Maki-chan, what about yourself? Have you picked any from those three girls?"

"W-what? No! Who told you I'll ever pick any of them?!" Maki protested.

"Oh? I thought you're interested in a foursome? Because… you know, I prefer to be intimate with Ericchi only—so… if you want foursome, you can always give a shot with—…." But before Nozomi can finish her sentence,

"N-Nozomiiii!" Maki yelled at her

* * *

Valhalla— the Valkyrie's mother ship;

Valkyrie Minami leaned against the wall close to the window as she stared into Terra—the mother ship that she just left a while back which slowly began to disappear into distance,

"Valkyrie Minami, what's with the hurry…?" A valkyrie asked her,

"Oh—sorry, did it do anything bad?" she replied.

"No, luckily we're capable to follow up, but that's too sudden… " she said.

"Sorry—I'm just a little scared if I…break into an emotion…" she replied weakly,

"You already looks like you're about to… but don't do that again next time…"

"Sorry…."

"Doesn't matter now, just go back to the barracks and prepare to examine the next planet. We're not looking for a mage now—we're looking for survivors…"

"Understood…"

And the other Valkyrie left with a cold gesture while another Valkyrie with dark brown and a few strands of white hair walked in to her quietly.

* * *

Terra's Lobby;

As Erena was taking care of their entry, while the others were kept seated around the lobby—chatting and relaxing with the drinks and meal that had been served to them on the table,

"Mmm… this is surprisingly pretty good…" Honoka said as she ate the vegetable crackers,

"Yeah-nya! I thought it wouldn't be any good since they're all non-organic…" Rin said.

"Hmm…I wonder how they can grow vegetables in this ship, especially with this cold temperature…" Hanayo wondered.

"That's where their technologies come in, they don't actually keep vegetables, but instead what they keep is a set of DNA. So that's how they can produce meat without having to kill an actual animal—or working on a farm…" Anjuu explained.

"W-woah! So that's how they can keep everyone here fed!" Hanayo said in awe.

"Not only that, when they sell it in the market, it will always be fresh and full of good nutrient… the only side effect is that sometimes they lose the good flavor—such as, they become too smooth or too dry…or just plain or bitter…" Anjuu explained.

"Wah, you can compare them, have you tasted both?" Hanayo asked.

"Yup, but tell you what, even though Terra peoples are very strong, they easily get sick from disease or poison…unless they have a specific immunity, just like the Alaistair…" Anjuu continued on with her explanation.

"T-The Alaistair?" Hanayo asked.

"Yup, it's a race—they're not quite human, but they have blended in with humans ever since many years ago they said. They took form of many races and every one of them have the very same specialty—which is to not be able to get sick from any poison and have no effect towards magic—they're also very hard to kill because of their fast regeneration—and they also have blood that functions like an antidote, it makes them the best support too…"

"W-woah… that means, they're generally strong?" Hanayo asked again.

"Not really, the only problem they have is—they usually are born with weaker bones. So they don't make a good front-line soldier…"

"Oh? I see…."

"But hey, you won't find them anywhere but here or in their own planet… because, in this place, Alaistairs are very protected and most are working for the clinic. They received a decent amount of money from donating their very first small bottle of blood once in three months… their donation is limited to prevent over-stock though…" Tsubasa added.

"Uh. question, can we know who's Alaistair who's not from here?" Kotori asked.

"That would be the government's secret. Only people who works at the server and the Alaistairs knows—except for the guards since they're not supposed to touch the computers… but then, it also depends on the Alaistair themselves, do they want to be known as one or not as one? They're free to choose here…" Tsubasa explained.

"Some of them think that it's not supposed to be a secret because it means that they are availble if needed, but some think it should be a secret so that they're safe from the bad guys…" Anjuu added,

"Yeah, I've heard of that…" Kotori said.

"Everyone…" Erena called as she approached them. They all turned to her,

"We got about 12 hours to stay around here, so that means we have to return to earth at early morning, make sure you fulfill all of your purposes here quickly and don't forget to always equip your suit… if you need to take a bath, use the hygiene wave, if you need food, you can go to market and cook it yourself at the Inn—or just order one from the food hotline, or go to the food court…"

"Any recommendation?"

"The cheapest one is pizza….maybe they won't be as good as the earth's pizza, but it's cheap and decent…" Tsubasa said.

"Tsubasa… don't encourage them to eat that… there are still a lot more healthier food here…" Erena sighed.

"I'm curious about their rice—I wonder how they can make rice from the DNA!" Hanayo said somewhat excitedly.

"Ah, the rice—well, not sure about that, I'm not a fan of rice…" Tsubasa said.

"Then, Hanayo will try it herself!" Hanayo said.

"Then Rin going to try the Ramen-nya!" Rin said happily

"I'm going to see around and try everything!" Honoka said excitedly

"I think I'll go look for some cheese cake, but, can we look for Nozomi-chan first? I just want to know how she is doing…." Kotori asked.

"Well, maybe that's a little too fast to be worried considering they just left this very morning…" Niko said.

"Left just this morning, huh? Somehow it feels so slow…"

"It because you've been bothered with that all day, Kotori-chan. you should stop and take a break…" Hanayo smiled at her friend.

"Yes, beside, she is no longer your thing to worry—there's Eli… I bet she is having fun with her by now…" Niko said—smirking slightly as she remembered what 'fun' means in the context.

"J-Just a little look! I won't interfere…" Kotori said.

"Sheesh, you're acting like a worried mother now…" Tsubasa said.

Anjuu giggled,

"I can understand though, to worry about someone we care about… I think I would encourage you to not stop caring, but doesn't mean that I want to let you worry, parents need to learn how to trust their children...and friends need to trust each other despite all the negative memory that you've been through in the childhood. People grow—and we need to understand that…" she said calmly,

"Uh…yeah…." Kotori replied shyly.

"Now let's get on the act…" Tsubasa said proudly.

* * *

The Terra's Food Court;

Nozomi and Eli sat at the most corner seat, next to a fake plant and window that displayed the dark sky of the space—with a view of the beautiful blue earth far from them.

"Sheesh, can't believe Maki hit me too—even though I didn't tease her…" Eli complained as she rubbed her forehead.

Nozomi—with a red mark on her forehead, chuckled softly,

"I think this is fun… I've never felt my friends do this to me… They're a little too soft—but well, maybe Kotori-chan did some shocking things but it wasn't as good as this. Just one hit and no lectures—it makes me feel so loved instead of bored…"

"Sheesh, you should appreciate their existence, you know… they're trying to be close to you in their own way…"

"I know that…and it's not like I didn't appreciate their existence, it just that sometimes they take things too seriously—even after I lie to them…."

Then she chuckled again,

"They're too innocent—I really want to keep them like that…" she continued with a soft and weak voice.

"So you do want to protect them too, right? even if you acted like you were angry at them…" Eli said.

Nozomi blushed slightly,

"Sheesh, you don't need to try playing a guessing game with me… you know—because you can feel what I feel too…" she said,

Eli crossed her arm as she leaned back on the chair she was sitting on.

"I don't know what you feel—even though we're similar, we are still different. So what you feel might be not what I feel…"

"Isn't it clear though, I believe what you feel when you lost your arm is the same feeling I have right now about them…in other words, you really care about them–but you feel like all of your efforts, where you have sacrificed almost everything has gone waste and they take it differently—they claimed you as the villain, they claimed you as the stupid one and they are the ones that know more than you…"

"Part of it was my fault, I can't express myself to that person that time…and Eir can…."

"So in other words, you're an epic fail, just like me… we're the same garbage—ones that are being worshipped by several groups….like those girls of yours and my students… and now we are lovers, trying to value each other… this is really sad, right…?"

"Hey, I don't like those girls, but what about you and your students? They seem to really fond to you…" Eli said.

"My feelings towards them is just the same with how you feel about those girls… I have no feelings, but maybe perhaps a slight hatred—but I care… because they're my responsibility…"

Eli remained quiet to listen.

"…can you imagine, everyday I woke up early to get to school, preparing for the class and everything… I always expect them to at least respect me, but all they care about is how hot I look for their eyes—because I'm just a little older than them—and they might have a chance with me?"

Eli raised her eyebrow,

"I would blame you for being too smart and hot for a teacher…"

Nozomi giggled,

"You don't need to hit on me now, I'm already yours, but anyway, can't you feel that feeling?"

Eli smiled,

"You're right, I feel that a lot. Except, I've never wanted to be the center of attention like a teacher–they just always pay attention to me regardless…"

"Being the center of attention is not that bad, you know. It's also a time where you actually can have your message sent to their head…."

"Not if you're like being watched everytime you step outside of your dorm room…just like as you can see, everyone in this food court might not be looking at us right now, but trust me, if we do something small right now, it will be put up on the bulletin board—A breaking news that will be read by the whole school…"

"Fun, we should kiss now…try and see their reaction towards this…"

Eli sighed heavily,

"If you really want that, I'll say…we can't just kiss all of a sudden, we need a trigger so you don't get bad names instantly…."

"Then do something…we need to get to it." Nozomi smiled, giving off a hint of excitement.

Eli turned to the nearby shop—a parfait shop, then she turned to her pocket, looking for her wallet. Thank god, she still had plenty of money kept inside after the shopping streak she did to get Nozomi's needs.

"Alright, Nozomi…. this is the plan…"

* * *

At the other side,

Honoka, Rin, Niko, Kotori, and Hanayo—along with the A-rise trio, finally set their foot inside a food court after asking around.

"Sheesh…Maki-chan was really not helping-nya…." Rin sighed,

"I guess that girl is in a very bad mood…" Niko crossed her arms, feeling a slight irritation crawl up on her.

"I wonder why Umi-chan had to be asleep at this time…" Kotori said a little sadly.

"Well, we should take a break for a few minutes and find them again later…" Tsubasa suggested with a sigh.

"Ah—look! There they are!" Honoka said a little too loudly as she pointed at Nozomi and Eli who were sitting at a corner table with a parfait on the table.

"H-Honoka-chan! Don't shout!" Kotori warned.

"Oh! Sorry…" Honoka said in softer voice.

"W-what are they doing?" Kotori asked,

"Dating…?" Tsubasa raised her eyebrow.

"Hmm..this is very interesting…" Anjuu said.

"We need to take a seat and order something, let's not be so suspicious…" Erena said.

They decided to hurry up and get some seats.

* * *

Back to Nozomi and Eli,

Nozomi—with her shy face, a fake shy face with a slight mischievous smile leaned so close to Eli who moved her chair to her side, she embraced her closely as she took the spoon, picked up a little ice cream and romantically fed her,

The two smiled at each other as they also carefully bumped their foreheads against each other, then Eli playfully snuggled Nozomi's neck.

"There—Ericchi! that tickles…" Nozomi said playfully, Eli just smiled at her and kissed her lover on the cheek.

"Ericchi! Sheesh…."

And from that moment—a group of people commented in their quiet whispers,

"Ah….Ayase-san is so romantic, I've always known she was a very romantic person!"

"She is playful! Hmm… I wish I was the one who got that close with Ayase-san…"

"Just look at how she embrace… I so want to be touched that way…"

In that moment, Nozomi asked for the spoon—then it's her turn to feed Eli romantically. It went so smooth and it really feels so dreamy for the group.

At the other table—Niko, Rin, Hanayo, and Kotori.

Kotori seemed to be carried away with the atmosphere, she kept opening her jaw slightly as she saw the couple feed each other. Hanayo was very focused with the rice she had just ordered, Rin contently enjoyed her ramen while Niko found the table to be a lot more interesting than the two flirts.

Then at the other table—Honoka, Tsubasa, Erena, and Anjuu.

"Yaho-ho! Honoka…this is going to be extremly difficult now!" Tsubasa said proudly.

"Bring it on—Tsubasa-chan!" Honoka said confidently.

Then at the very moment, Tsubasa threw the nuts and Honoka quickly caught them all with her mouth,

"There, you two, stop playing with food!" Erena scold them—which is completely ignored as Tsubasa threw the nuts faster and Honoka paced along, determined to not lose.

"That's called going against the rule, Erena, they know food is highly valued here so they have to play with it…" Anjuu said as she giggled.

Erena sighed,

"More importantly though, the couple seems to be having their fun, I feel a little bad for Kotori…" Erena looked towards the innocent grey haired girl.

"What do you mean? She should be happy that her friend now has someone she deeply loves—and deeply loved in return…"

"But to be left for the one…isn't that kind of painful? It's like, you know…. your friendship is not important and forgetable…" Erena pointed out,

"You just have to make a new one, it's not good to stick with one thing the entire time…" Anjuu said.

"But, we cannot abandon friendship just because we have someone better…"

"Then—the next question will be can you share your time? If you want to keep something, you have to be responsible. You have to make talk to the person you want to leave… it's for the better too, right?"

"Arhh… you two are so noisy, just eat your stuff and keep your mouth shut about those friendship bullshit. There's nothing like thinking about this and thinking about that. you just do it— it's friendship yo… you just do what you want to do to your friend and expect what you expect… there is only a cause and result… no thinking—it just a darned waste of time, cracking up friendship too." Tsubasa said.

"But—it has to be thought through, it's about the future after all—and we have to be clear with our friends… we shouldn't leave them hanging." Anjuu said.

"Yes, I agree. Feelings are a serious business…" Erena said.

"Meh—You two are always so serious. But hey, look now, we always clash with each other, we have different concepts of life too, why are we still together?" Tsubasa asked.

"That's because…." Erena paused—wondering if the answer in her mind is the correct answer.

Anjuu smiled slightly,

"Are you trying to say that we're together because we are different?"

"Pretty much it, just imagine how dull it would be if you are always agreeing with your friend.. it could be a different case for a twin who always likes to have the same things, but hey—even the most identical of twin have many differences…and it makes their life slightly colored."

"Though I suppose, some people are just not appealed with each other—mostly, it was because one of them is too selfish or simply too proud of themselves…" she continued.

Erena, Anjuu, and Honoka stared at Tsubasa in awe,

"Anyway, I have a little story about a person who center the world on herself…" Tsubasa started,

"—she was very arrogant, she believed that by having a lot of people who pay attention to her, she wouldn't need to listen to anyone—especially to they who always try so hard to care about her. From days to night, she lived in her own imaginary world which stood right above the reality. She acted like she was the big hearted one—yet she kept anger in her deepest heart. She would pretend that she accepts it when someone critiqued her, so that the others see her as the Goddess—or at least they who couldn't see the truth through her words. She hated to be judged, yet she showed herself and offered the opportunity to be judged so hardly— she could make a thousand excuses to push someone down to the cliff of blames, then acted like she was a victim of the cruel world…"

"she lived from other's pity—yet acted like she had to worked hard for it. Truth is—she can't even buy her own food and blame her parents—claiming them as those kind of parents who doesn't even care about her. Then began to rant to the society—telling them that she wants to disappear at that rate, expecting others to give her what she wished to have—wealth…."

"Then one day—an innocent warrior came up to her life. Charmed by her ability in a specific subject—and her incapability in the other subject, giving out a hint of space in her life, the warrior gathered her courage to be closer to the said girl—who appeared to be very weak and helpless. Then because the warrior was such a good hearted person, she promised to herself that she will dedicate her life to protect the girl…. The girl that keep the darkest heart of all…"

"W-w-whoa! Poor Warrior! I can't imagine the pain that the warrior will go through when she knows about that dark heart…" Honoka said,

"Well—the story teller said, it's no worry, because the warrior has moved on and the dark hearted girl is no longer also said, a true love will come to save the warrior from the eternal heartbreak… They will soon be in love and the rose will bloom like the warmest sunrise."

"So it wasn't your own story, I'm glad I know that!" Erena crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, it's almost too good for a story that you can make up on your own…" Anjuu giggled.

"That hurts!" Tsubasa protested.

Then as she said that, a few group of girls screamed hysterically all of a sudden and not in a good way either. The four of them turned their eyes to them,

"W-wha! Did they just?!" a girl said as her eyes focused on the corner seat where Nozomi and Eli pressed their lips together, a very close embrace with both of their hands holding each other.

"A-Ayase-san is kissing that girl!" another girl said with slight panic in her voice,

"No! That girl is seducing Ayase-san!" another girl said bitterly.

"Yeah! What a bitch!"

"Ayase-senpai! She is not worth it!"

"Kill her! That whore doesn't deserve Ayase-san!" another shouted,

"Yeah! She is not even in the rank!"

"Let's do this public execution!"

And from that very moment, the trio A-Rise stood up from their chair,

"Halt!"

* * *

**There, see you next chapter~!**


	20. How The Cover Looks Like

**Ok, sorry for the long delay! Still super busy!**

**Thanks for reviews / comment/ faves/ follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson for editing!**

**I hope you're not losing interest yet. But really, I have a bunch of work to work on. Sorry! **

* * *

The Food Court,

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Catch her!" a girl panicked while pointing at a certain purple haired girl,

"Halt! Halt! Don't move! No body move!" Tsubasa shouted but it was ignored completely. A few people had escaped to the side of the room as they watched some girls attempting to kill Nozomi with their own weapons. Anjuu had to put up a barrier around the area not only to keep all suspects inside, but also to keep the others safe.

Nozomi dodged every attack—from the ranged ones to the closest ones, thanks to her ability as a mind magician, she was even able to predict a couple of surprise attacks. Eli couldn't say a word as she watched how agile her lover was—she didn't expect that, after knowing how she always fought in the past. Perhaps the artificial gravity had something to do with it, though right now the only thing that worried her was if Nozomi would use her magic here…

She absolutely wanted to remind her again, but if she does, everyone will know she possesses magic.

"Tsubasa, we need to freeze them…" Erena said as she tried to defend Eli who was standing behind her.

"Hey, don't harm Nozomi…" Eli tried to yell over the herd of girls as she walked to the front.

"Stay back Eli! Let us do our job…"

"Yeah, I know, I respect that job of yours—but please don't harm her. She is innocent—she hasn't attacked anyone yet!"

"We know, we can see that. Just stay quiet… don't do anything that could be dangerous! You know how idiot fans could be…"

Still struggling with the angry mob, Nozomi kept dodging and guarding herself from the countless attacks thrown at her. No matter how troublesome the situation looked, the purple-head had no intention to fight back. On the other side of the food court Kotori, Rin, Niko and Hanayo were still having a hard time getting through the big crowd,

The three police tried to get the mob of girls under control, but proved to be of no use, as Tsubasa tried to whistle loud to warn the mod, Anjuu with the barrier, and Erena trying to call for reinforements , who couldn't even hear her because of all the noise in the area.

Just as they thought it wouldn't be getting any worse, one of the girl managed to shoot a poison needle right on Nozomi's left knee, causing her to fall.

"Nozomi!" Eli quickly ran to her,

"W-wait! Eli!" Erena shouted.

The girls attempted to shoot at the weakened girl with their guns, Eli, being fast, came in front of the said purple-head and set up barrier as she hugged Nozomi close—who was still trying to catch her breath.

"Where the hell is the discipline committee?!" Tsubasa shouted.

Anjuu and Erena tried to look around… but the only thing they saw was a huge crowd.

"Damn it… Nozomi, can you answer me?" Eli said.

Nozomi tried to talk, though somehow she couldn't let out a single word, nor did she find the voice to speak,

"Argh—I was right, that's the high-grade poison. We need to treat it quickly…" Eli scanned the wound on Nozomi's leg.

"We don't have time! Just freeze them, Tsubasa!" Anjuu said.

"Yeah! She is poisoned!"

Tsubasa looked around, the girls were very aggressive towards Nozomi—and they did't even care if Eli tried so hard to protect her with a barrier.

Through the crowds, Kotori managed to get to the front line—though she is limited to the barrier that Anjuu put up. Her eyes automatically focused on the two figure—Eli defended Nozomi, who was struggling with the poison, as she was trying to get rid of the needle on her own.

"Anjuu! Let me in!" Kotori shouted—though her voice was unheard.

"You're not worthy! You can't even fight back! Chicken!" the girls yelled at her, Nozomi—smiled mischievously despite her terrible condition.

"Don't respond Nozomi…. don't even try to… just keep your energy, ok? You must not fall asleep…" Eli said.

Nozomi nodded slightly.

"Ayase-san! Please open your eyes! She isn't even in the rank! Don't fall in love with her!" a girl cried as she shot her guns at the two, having the bullets only bounce away from them, leaving Eli's barrier still strong and sturdy and it's people inside face from harm.

"Ayase-san! I'm more popular than her! We can be a perfect match! We can be greater! Why do you even want to date an ugly bitch like her?!" a girl said as she smashed her axe to Eli's barrier,

"Ayase-senpai! You used to be in a team with me back then! I'm just as old as Umi Sonoda too! I'm better than her!" another girl yelled—attempting to shoot on the barrier aggressively.

"Ayase! I've been a really good girl who cares about everyone—I'm more worthy than her!"

"Can't you all just shut up and stop all this nonsense?! Nozomi is my girlfriend! Deal with it!" Eli shouted even though no one was listening to her as they were too busy rambling about themselves.

Kotori tried to get through the crowds to get closer to Anjuu, she was beginning to get really worried as she saw how pale Nozomi's face was turning.

"Anjuu! Let me in!" she shouted again—once again unheard...though Honoka who stood right next to her heard it.

"Tsubasa! What are you doing?! Just freeze them!" Anjuu shouted at Tsubasa.

Tsubasa's hands were trembling with doubt, she wasn't sure if it would be okay to use magic, but then again she really needed to use it, thoughts of these fashion roamed through the girls head, making her hesitate.

Honoka frowned slightly,

"Tsubasa-chan! Fight on!" Honoka shouted,

As Tsubasa heard her voice, she turned towards the said girl— and she in return cheered her up with a gesture. Tsubasa finally smiled and nodded before she charged up her magic—then within seconds, Tsubasa casted the magic, slamming her hands on the ground as ice blue frost spread around the area inside the barrier that Anjuu put up. It didn't take long for some of the girls were already frozen in place while Eli guarded herself with the barrier to prevent herself and Nozomi from getting caught up in the spell, but the ice was stronger than what she had anticipated, seeing how it started to freeze her barrier as well.

Unfortunately, there were some girls that remained unfrozen, who helped the others to break free from the casted ice magic.

"We can't lose! We have to protect Ayase-san from the slut!" they said.

"Let's at least waste the time so that girl can slowly be killed by the poison!" one of them replied.

Kotori began to panic—a few sparks of lightning started to buzz out from her. Hanayo who just got to see Kotori through the crowds noticed it.

"K-Kotori-chan!" she struggled to get closer to her,

"W-wwaaa! K-Kayo-chin where are you-nyaaa?!" Rin shouted as she got lost in the crowd.

"O-Oi! Rin! Where are you?!" Niko is lost too and worse—she can't even see anything due to her height.

"Kotori-chan! Remember— we're not allowed to—….!" And before Hanayo was able to finish,

Huge lightning sparks atarted to flow out from the one known as the Thunder Bird—the lights around the space ship began to stutter, a very loud high pitched scream echoed, and just within seconds—….

* * *

The Dorm Room;

Nozomi slowly opened her eyes as she regained her consciousness. The lightning sparks were surely something that she has felt before, though she wondered why she had felt it in a place that she didn't expect? Such questions were surely something that she can ask to the person sitting next to her right now as she rested on Eli's bed…

"Oh, you're awake…. Didn't expect it to be that bad, huh?" Maki said.

Nozomi remained quite as she lifted her head up enough to look at her left knee—which was covered with the tight rubber suit. She felt a little strange there—though before she could ask…

"We had to replace some flesh on your knee, so you will see some kind of stitch on your skin for now. Don't worry, it won't leave a mark or anything after a few days…"

It took a moment for Nozomi to process what the red-head said, then she tried to move her legs slightly, to the injured girls surprise it was really light and easy to move. It was like she had never gotten into the accident in the first place. Though as she was about to compliment, Maki stood up from her side and quietly walked to the kitchen that was attached to their room.

Nozomi decided against the idea of complimenting, and instead watched Maki setting up something as she looked into the refrigerator.

"Apparently, your friend came up all the way here yesterday…" Maki iniciated the conversation

"—they were really worried about you…" she continued as she took out a bottle of orange juice,

"Kotori-chan came here?" Nozomi asked.

"Yeah, with the police. They got into some trouble with the magic Kotori casted yesterday, though luckily they were just fined for using it…"

Nozomi tried to remember yesterday's detail, and completely recalling that had happened.

"She did it to save me—why did she get fined for using it?" Nozomi asked.

"To make it clear, the fine was given to the Police, thanks to Tsubasa who wanted to be responsible for it, but to answer your question, because the rule said, we shouldn't use magic here… and she did… even the Valhala soldiers who are allowed to use magic rarely use it here. They respect the rule…"

"I still find it stupid, she used it for something good—why did she get scolded… it the same as killing to survive, just like what everyone else did…"

"That's true, but then again, that's the rule and there is a time and place. We have to understand that. Just imagine if there was no rule to obey—…"

"What happen to those girls who harmed me? Did they get what they deserve…?"

"They're in detention room…all of them—and the discipline committee who were in charge got fired and replaced with another who are a lot more capable and braver than the previous one… there's justice in this place, thank you…"

"Then Ericchi? Where's Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"She is taking care of a few form of yours… you'll get extra security from now on… just like us…"

"Just like you….?"

"Yeah… we got a guarantee from the Server as well due to some previous events that happened in the past… so, knowing that you got some name for yourself here, we want to make sure you're safe…" Maki replied.

"Tell me more about these previous events, is it related to those crazy fans…?"

"Sadly, yes… it is… they've been haunting our life…"

Nozomi remained quiet to listen.

"Those girls never listen—they just yell out whatever the hell comes out of their mouths. They claimed themselves as our lovers, terrorizing us with their constant yelling and screaming out our names randomly everyday. It's not like we're sort of an idol group or something…geez…." Maki said as she handed the orange juice to Nozomi.

"They're just always so full of their own delusions… you can even read their imaginations about us in the social media…" Maki continued again as she picked up the purple tablet that Eli had bought for Nozomi.

Nozomi wondered how to use such thing—she only knows she can just touch it and do stuff there, but she had never actually done it. Nozomi, deciding to accept the tablet into her hands, only stared at it quietly.

"Oh, right, you don't know how to use it yet…." Maki scratched her head shyly, realizing that the senior in front of her never learned how to use a tablet,

Nozomi who was still quiet, looked at the red-head awkwardly while drinking her orange juice.

"Here… press this…." She pressed a button on the side and instantly the screen turned on with a lock screen that contained three rows of triple dots, iniciating its user to swipe the dots in a certain order to unlock the screen. Knowing that Nozomi had no clue of what the passcode was, Maki used her fingers to make a reverse N from it.

"That's the lock code, Eli set it up, but you can change it again later… you should ask her—but anyway, here I'll show you your social media profile…" Maki made a quick motion on the screen leaving Nozomi unable to grasp the purpose yet. Then after she did, a profile appeared— she was sure that the details in her profile indicated that it was her but….

"Oh, by the way, you haven't put up your profile picture yet, you should set it up soon. Good thing that no one knows your name yet, but I'm sure you will get some followers soon—especially because school is starting soon and since you are part in our team… people will snoop for it…" Maki said.

Nozomi stare into the blank frame on the side of the profile, she wonder what she should have for it.

"Then—hmm… also…Eli set you up as a gunslinger, you'll be using a gun as a weapon from now on. Umi went to get it tested, so you have to wait for a moment before you can go out again. Next, you also need to understand a few basics about the military—such as where your row is supposed to be when we're in combat and so on… you don't need to worry about the details for team missions, but you still have to learn a few theories as your basics…"

Nozomi already browsed around the site, looking through the guide book. Maki was impressed at how serious her eyes looked while going over the guide book—or perhaps, looking at the guide book itself already amazed her.

"There are also a a couple of changes that hasn't made in the guide book—it's a recent one, or actually, it was just happened to be made yesterday, since that incicent… the discipline committee will no longer be able to arrest by their own will—so they have to get permission from the minister. The securities are still able arrest you on the spot though—but don't worry, security here is fair and they won't catch you if you're not doing anything bad. They also plan to strengthen the guards in the food court—trust me, that was the first time an incident like that have ever taken place in the food court. It really was peaceful place back then…" she explained.

Nozomi was quiet for moment, until she suddenly started to giggle, Maki raised her eyebrow in question as she watched the purple haired woman giggle in amusement.

"I'm such a troublemaker, aren't I? Although I know that I will certainly cause trouble—I still want to see how it goes…" she said.

"Well, I don't really know about the details, but I just suppose it's natural for that kind of thing to happen… because it happened before I joined the military too…so, let's just say, it's nothing new…" Maki said.

"Tell me more…." Nozomi said with a hint pity mixed in with her smile,

"That's how our life is… we just do our best and people are flocking around us, then they just simply claimed us as theirs because they like us to be who we are in their eyes. They've never seen our true side—alas, they don't even care about what we actually think… maybe we wouldn't have minded if we were actually craving for the attention, but in all honesty, we don't want it…." Maki explained

"Eli is the one who suffered the most, and perhaps the other seniors did so as well. A lot of the males who got terrorized, were not able to survive the pain and decided to commit suicide in battle… and guess what? Their fans cried for days–shouting that they would like to die with him, but no…they're not doing that, they just moved on with their lives and began to obsess over another."

Nozomi giggled at it,

"Would you feel better if they actually committed suicide with them?"

"Some actually did that, it's not funny—it's idiotic. For whatever thing, they are no one for them. Why would they live in a delusional world anyway—and why do they have be angry when their delusions are broken as they see a whole different reality? It's their fault to think that way…" Maki smirked,

"You should check Eli's profile now, a lot of people started to rant on her profile… I don't think Eli will read them anyway—she is never into updating her social media…."

And from that moment, Maki guided her fingers to the tablet, then typed a few things which led Nozomi to Eli's profile. There she only saw one picture—an old picture of the particular blonde. Eli smiled at the camera—and there her right arm still looked smooth and feminine. She was absolutely stunning and beautiful. Her azure eyes, a lot more brighter and filled with innocence, her lips still smiling sweetly and she doesn't appear to be burdened. Then she turned to the side—looking at the messages icon, then a tab that showed some kind of public impression tab.  
Nozomi had an idea as to what might be inside it, so she decided to save it for later—instead she turned her focus to the other side, where there was a list of family members, with all the family names listed in it. She tried to check one by one, though none of them seemed to be recently updated…

"Those are her family, you won't see it updated ever again…. I believe you've heard it yourself…" Maki said.

"You know anything about them?" Nozomi asked.

"No…. I'm not into her secret…" Maki said.

Nozomi smiled faintly, then she decided to go back a bit and check on the listed profile which seemed to be accepted by Eli as a friend. There's only Maki and Umi in her list—then recently added Nozomi's profile in it as well.

"There's a certain limit where we have to care or not to care…. For my case, I only care about her future, so I don't want to pry about her past. If she doesn't want to tell, then I'd like to respect her choices… I believe Umi have said the same to you as well… but anyhow—I honestly feel glad that you're here to try and pry things out of her and help that woman to solve her problems—in your very own strange way, because it seems to be a very heavy weight on her shoulders, soon enough, she will have to face her choices and I think…. You'll be the person who will help her to make a decision…"

"I'm sure that's my purpose here…" Nozomi said.

"But then again...why are you so insisting?" Maki asked.

Nozomi took a moment to think,

"I know it's not my problem, but I just want to know a little… since….i find it weird for you to just suddenly appear to be so obsessive about her…." The red haired woman continued.

"Obsessive? I wouldn't call that… I just want to do what I think I am supposed to do… besides, like what I said, I'm here because I want to start a new—but it doesn't seem like a good start for me here either. My trouble-making senses tickles me too much." Nozomi smiled playfully.

"Well, you just have to prove your worth— fight back next time…."

"I wasn't fighting them back because I promised Ericchi that I won't use violence on them…."

"Well, alright, but, think again…if you don't fight back, then they will keep abusing you…"

"Oh—I have my own ways to get revenge… just like what I promised…."

"Is that so? Then give me an example of your plan…" Maki said with a slight look of curiosity.

"Easy, I'll ace all the studies you have and make them question their future—I mean, while they're so busy thinking about how to harm me, I'll break their faces by being a lot more smarter than them, impress Ericchi and all…"

"Huh? Will that work?"

"Of course, after all, the point of being in school is to get good grades and a certificate, yes? No one going to ask if you're popular or not–nor how many friends you have either. Maybe they will ask if you ever got a red card for behavior—but hey, does it really matter? We can be bad when we're young, but we can always fix it in the future… unless someone wants to judge you from your past…."

"Sadly, there are still many people who judges from the past… but it's understandable because who you are in the past does matter…. No one wants to be stuck in a room with a person who is known to like violence—or at least used to be a murderer. They'll feel anxious no matter how gentle they were that time…"

"Good point… in my defense though, I'll still prove them that I'm just a lot better and magical—I mean… a lot better and smarter than they are…I'll make them see a reason as to why I'm worthy to be with a perfect person like Ericchi…. I'm going to be very cute, motherly, and all…"

"Right—huh? I can't actually see you that way…but—yeah, please prove me wrong…." Maki smirked,

"Just accept me, ok? Don't complain…"

And suddenly, the door opened slowly without warning, Umi returned with a box of machine on her back,

"morning…" Umi greeted.

"Ah—Umi-chan! Morning!" Nozomi greeted, cutely. Umi paused for a moment, then she shook her head,

"M-Morning!" she replied nervously.

"Hey…Umi, how was the results?" Maki asked.

"The Switching is a little too slow, but it's good enough for a beginner… Eli will have this temporary gun replaced soon with the design she is currently working on for all of us…" Umi explained,

"Oh, right, we also have our own weapons on the list… I hope we can get it done in two weeks…" Maki thought.

"Yeah–I'm sort of excited to see my new RoC, also wondering about how TEoS and D will turn out…" Umi replied.

"yeah, me too…" Maki nodded in agreement, gradually getting more and more excited imagining her new weapon.

"Oh– by the way, Nozomi, Eli said she wanted to ask you a few things—but you were so deep in your sleep that she didn't want to bother you…. you've been through a lot yesterday…" Umi said.

"Hmmm… she talks like she hasn't gone through the same thing…" Nozomi replied with a slight smile.

"She is used to it… either way, you should meet her… she should be in the workshop by now…"

"Oh? I thought she was taking care of the insurance?" Maki raised her eyebrow,

"Nah, she was already done with that…."

"Alright… anyhow, you want to go to the workshop, Nozomi? I can show you the way there…"

"Yup, please take me there…"

* * *

The Police station,

Anjuu, Erena, and Tsubasa sat around the room as they read the newspaper. The highlight today was about the massive black out in Terra, caused by a powerful lightning bolt that striked them…

"Man…. I can't believe that Kotori can do such a powerful thunder magic… Earth people are scary…" Tsubasa said.

"What I can't believe is—you made me to pay all the fine on my own in the name of the police!" Erena complained to the girl reading the newspaper.

"Oh you should be glad—you get the honor to do it…"

"It's not an honor if you're just throwing things on me!"

"yeah-yeah…"

"Tsubasa!" Erena started to rant but it had gone completely ignored. Tsubasa turned at Anjuu who looked very busy reading in her tablet. Tsubasa raised her eyebrow…

"Hey, Anjuu, what's up?" she asked.

"Oh… Tsubasa… what's up?" she replied without looking at the short girl.

"You've been quiet…."

"Oi Tsubasa! Listen to me!" Erena still yelling at her.

Anjuu chuckled,

"Ah, well… I'm still looking for a confirmation, about the old oracle… I think I remember something that related to the thunder bird… and to the sentence that we happen to hear in our dreams…" she said.

"So how is it so far?" Tsubasa asked.

"Hmm… the only thing that I can figure out is, there's an 'If' on the start of paragraph, but we still don't know how to complete this…"

"Eh—doesn't it mean that we have to somehow unite everyone who possess them?"

"Yes—but how do we know them? We don't even know who these people are, that are getting those specific sentences… we can't just go like, 'hey—you, who has gotten a weird sentence in their dreams?' If we do that, we certainly will get a thousand people to respond to it…"

"Ah—true…."

"Hmm…anyway, I wonder how those three are doing with their next mission—they really should give us an update…."

The µ's ship;

"Ahh…it feels so good to be able to travel in this ship more-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah, we get to go around again… I kind of want to go to that planet though…"

"That planet? You mean, that planet as in that planet-nya?" Rin asked.

"I don't even understand which planet you're trying to say!" Niko said.

"Oh—you know, that planet-nya!" Rin said again.

"Rin! Sheesh!"

"Ah—by the waaaaayy!" Honoka shouted,

"What?!" Niko shouted back,

"The auto pilot is set up to land in the next planet…" Honoka said.

"Which planet damn it!" Niko yelled.

"The next planet! Oh you know which planet!" Honoka said again.

"Tell me names! Damn you! I wouldn't know which planet you all are trying to say!" Niko yelled again.

"You Know which planet is which planet!" Honoka said.

"Yeah-nya! You know which planet we're going to land in with our new ship-nya!"

"Namesss! They have nameessss!" Niko yelled again.

"That Planet!" Rin and Honoka said.

"I know it's a planet! Darn you all! I'm asking names!"

"Oh you know that planet!" Rin and Honoka said again,

"I'm so done with you two!"

* * *

Terra—The workshop;

Maki led Nozomi to the workshop which happened to be right under their room. It was a personal workshop and if one were to look around they would see that all the tools and materials were very organized and neatly placed where they are supposed to be.

"It was just under the room? I wonder how Ericchi came in here without us knowing?" Nozomi asked.

"Eh—well, there's another door there, but it leads to the lower corridors, the residence of the room are the only ones who can use the lift…so, yeah…" Maki replied as they walk to approach Eli, who seem to be busy working in front of the workbench.

As they got very close to her—Eli stopped working and place everything down before she turned around to see them. She was wearing a working helm with magnifying goggles attached to her eyes and a working apron. After turning around, her first sight accidentally falls to look at the purple haired woman's breasts-

Which was a lot bigger with her magnifying goggles on…

Eli quickly averted her eyes—knowing that she can't be that obvious when looking at her, especially with her junior right next to her.

"Hey, morning…." Eli said a little awkwardly.

"Morning, Eli… How are you doing?" Maki asked.

"I'm fine…" Eli replied.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"I suppose this is not a polite greeting that you get to see in text books, what happened to you, Ericchi?"

"Well, Eli always takes more damage when she gets stung by electricity— so I'm just checking up on her condition…" Maki said.

"I'm using rubber skin now, remember? So don't worry, it won't happen again…" Eli replied.

"Yeah, I know, I just wanted to make sure…"

"Put that aside though, how's Nozomi?" Eli asked.

"She got a few parts of her flesh replaced, so don't worry. I'm very sure the poison is completely removed and purified… though it will takes time to make her skin flawless again…"

"I see…." Eli replied plainly before she turned around to start working again.

Instantly leaving the room to be in silence and somewhat awkward. Maki, realizing that something must have been in Eli's mind as she heard about the replaced flesh…

"Eli…sorry we didn't find that way of fixing earlier…." Maki said.

"It's not your fault…" Eli replied.

"You could've just needed to replace the bone…"

"Just forget about it—it's just me and my bad luck… besides, I still doubt that technology can fix me… not in that condition…" Eli said again.

Maki smiled bitterly,

"True…."

Nozomi glanced at the two, then she sighed,

"Will anyone care to tell me what the exact deal is? You two make it sound like it's such a really bad deal…"

Eli and Maki remained quiet for a moment…

"Maki…. Can you tell her? I need to focus on this so I can hurry up and send it to the factory to get the parts made…" Eli said.

"Yeah…I can…." Maki said before she beckoned Nozomi to follow her.

* * *

Back to the room;

Umi remained in the room, reading something in her tablet. She turned to Maki and Nozomi who just got out from the lift at the side of the room.

"Ah, welcome back… that was quick….did you two find her?" Umi asked.

"Yeah… she requested me to tell Nozomi about her arm…so I brought her here…" Maki said.

"Why did we need to be here?" Nozomi asked.

"Because—let's not make her remember it again…. it was the most painful memory for her where everything breaks her heart…." Maki said.

Umi nodded,

"I'm glad you decided to do that…"

"She has moved on, right? So why are we still doing this?" Nozomi asked.

"Even if she did, it's still better that we don't remind her of something that she regrets a lot…"

"Alright, I'll take that—so start explaining …" Nozomi crossed her arms over her chest,

Maki and Umi looked at each other as though they were able to talk with just their facial expressions, until Umi gestured to let Maki start out the story….

"Well, back then before we both joined the army, Eli wasn't planning to become a Vanguard. Hmm…did she say she wanted to be an assassin? Not only because it was the most flexible class—and doesn't require much strength practices, it's also because she wanted to be a dancer when she graduated so she had to keep her body as feminine as she could—and being an assassin was the best choice for it…."

"….but then there came the person that she really liked, she have never mentioned her name, but I believe she was the daughter of a decent named entertainer—just like her family…. She was really interested to have the girl as her life partner… or let's say, she wanted to marry her…."

"How hot was this girl? What can she do?" Nozomi asked.

"I don't know about the appearance, but… about what she can do… well… she said she can dance and she really likes to see her dancing…. And that's all about it…." Maki replied,

"The girl was a dancer, no doubt, but she was also sort of a player. She really liked to flirt with anyone could get her hands on—and playing a victim role out of anything. She also often made drama in the social media…" Umi said.

"Oh?"

"A lot of peoples are tricked by her charming looks and Eli also said, she was into playing around too when she got to be around her… she have dated a lot of men and women, though none of it was a serious relationship…and they always broke them up whenever they tried to do more than embracing…" Umi added again.

Nozomi smiled,

"Just like how all entertainers are, eh? 'You can look at me, but no touching allowed…'"

"I guess you can say that—but, truth to be told, entertainers here are divided into two–one is they who just display their beauty like Eli's family, then the second is they who display beauty and sell out their service… I can say that the girl who Eli liked, or let's just say, Vivian, was clearly the type that sold out their service. Even though Eli didn't admit it, I can see that she was that type just by looking at her profile that no longer exists after the last server maintenance…"

"How come?" Nozomi asked.

"Vivian was killed about a year ago, no one really knows the cause, but she was found dead in a love hotel room… said, her head was cut off and she was hung in a terrible way." Umi said.

"Love hotel? That kind of thing exists here?"

"Yes… but, it's very expensive…"

"How come you know it's expensive….?" Maki raised her eyebrow.

"I-I just heard it from my parents! Ok?! B-b-beside! It's common for a couple to rent a room for one night to do their needs… " Umi replied in panic.

"Alright….I'll buy that…." Maki said still being slightly skeptical about it.

"W-well anyhow, that place is the only place where privacy is their priority. No one there rents a room with their true names… and—if they couldn't afford the rent, they can always go to the Lust and Love Room… cheaper price for privacy—but risky because… it's basically a room where you just do anything you want along with the other people who don't guarantee your privacy to the public later…" Umi explained,

"Once again Umi, how do you even know about all this? Did you research?" Maki asked.

"No! Sheesh! I know about them from reading literatures!"

"Alright, I'll take your word for it…." Maki said twirling the tips of her hair.

"Lust and Love Room? Isn't that the name of the erotic video's producer?" Nozomi asked.

"Eh? How did you know that?" Maki asked.

"It was on the video that Ericchi got… I think I saw a logo that says, Lust and Love Room?"

"Oh—well…now we know why that video is there…someone must've wanted to invite her there… but I'm glad she didn't do it—or just doesn't get it…"

"It was at the end of video…" Nozomi said.

"Eh—you watched it till it finished? We can't do that…" Maki said.

"I don't think Eli can do it either, that was like a 50 minute video…will she even waste time for it?" Umi said.

"You know you don't have to watch the whole thing— I just wanted to know how it ends so I skipped to the last few minutes… and let's get back to the first topic, why did Ericchi lose her arm for a playgirl like Vivian?"

"Vivian was not a good fighter—she was terrible. Though because she always stuck around Eli… and their seniors that time, she always got good grades… Eli also said that she always begged her to protect her and do all the work…so…you know now why Eli can do multiple amount of work in a short period of time…."

"Because she is used to do such for Vivian?" Nozomi chuckled,

"….thats what I should call as one sided love…" she continued.

"Yes…and… that day too, I think Eli said it was the massive battle day—where we just go out in big groups and fight the planet's parasites. She was at the back line with Vivian—then her senior, Eir Rangrid..."

The name took Nozomi's interest,

"….was on the front line. She is a year older than Eli and was a vanguard before she joined the Valkyrie for her mother who is the commander of the Valhalla Soldiers. Eli was supposed to stay in the back line, though she had to change her place after one of the planet's parasite appeared from the ground by surprise. The undecided soldiers had to scramble out and mess up the whole formation, you can imagine Vivian being as terrible as she is— she couldn't even run and had to get tripped down—either she did it on purpose so she can be all dramatic in her social media, or she actually tripped…" Umi smirked,

"…and you can imagine as innocent and protective as Eli is… she ran and tried to protect her—but Vivian was clearly crying in the battlefield… screaming that it really hurt and Eli was being too rough when trying to help her out…" Maki added with a smirk,

"….I just keep wondering why Eli would like someone like her…. but I bet it also has something to do with her big breasts and cute face…" she continued as she sighed.

"Or perhaps, Eli just likes it when someone relies on her… even if it is too much…" Umi said.

"That's possible too.."Maki agreed.

"—by the way, the planet parasite was not a monster—it's was a race that had been driven out from Planet Eamon after the whole race corrupted their own minds. They're the complete opposite of The Alaistair. Their blood is poison and they are very fragile. They need to consume other's life in order to survive —and Alaistair is their favorite target, though they don't mind feeding on other creatures. They acted very aggressive and they tend to eat their victims alive…."

"Don't tell me…Ericchi's arm was eaten?" Nozomi asked.

"Sadly, yes… it was what happened… That creature was trying to bite Vivian—but Eli charged it and ….it grabbed Eli's right and and just started biting into it immediately…"

"…and you can imagine her trying to shove that merciless creature off, but it still cost her right arm anyway…" Maki added.

"You don't need to go on to that much detail, Maki… but yes, that is how it was until Eir saved her." Umi sighed.

"….Wow…. and then this Vivian dumped Ericchi for Eir?" Nozomi asked.

"It was worse than that…. Vivian also humiliated her through the social media, she didn't care about her feelings, all she cared about was herself, because she centered the world around herself—I think the thing that she said to the society was 'Is this my bad luck or something to have such an idiot person offering herself to a damned parasite? Wow… a way to creep me out…if you want to do that, don't stand in front of me…' and some other rant that basically put blame on Eli for being such an idiot while she praised Eir for saving her…"

"…and did anyone respond to that?" Nozomi frowned,

"No.. they were quiet, because whatever you try to say to Vivian, she will only turn it around and make you sound bad…everyone always knew that, so they never say anything to her… but they liked reading Vivian's rants— idiotic they said and good for laughs…" Umi explained.

"…and you can imagine Vivian being proud to have a lot of followers… then her best known status is 'I don't know why but it feels like I attract those kinds of people who likes to pick a fight with me—hahaha!' or like, 'don't just assume everything about me, it makes me angry!' to the people who judges her from reading her dumb rants." Maki added with sarcastic tone.

"How do you two know so much about her…. did you two also follow her when she was alive and well?" Nozomi asked.

"W-wh-Well! Yes…I did, because she kind of had some kind of good stuff to share at times… not her rants though…" Umi said.

"Y-yeah, she used to be very quick on updates so… following her for the sake of recent gossip and news was good…" Maki added

Nozomi sighed,

"Alright, anything else?" she asked as she crossed her arm…

"About Vivian, no… but about Eli… she was taken back home and about to be declared as dead by the server—because one armed soldiers are deemed useless in their opinion and they just can't keep useless soldiers here due to the population limit…but…once again, Eir saved her by calling the Valhalla soldiers to take care of her….and…there she got her mechanical right arm…" Umi said.

"Then about her family?" Nozomi asked,

"I don't know, but I just know that they have gone missing during the time when Eli was being taken care of by the Valhalla soldiers…"

"They are probably trying to save Alisa from the same fate as Eli….and perhaps they also think that Eli doesn't have any hope to live in the family, especially because they're living as entertainers…."

"That's bullshit, I don't want to believe that before I can find this family of hers…" Nozomi said.

"W-well…that's up to you…but…hey, that's all about her arm that we know about…" Maki said.

"Yes…that's all we know…" Umi said.

Nozomi nodded,

"I see…. then thanks, I'm going to do my next job then…" Nozomi said as she turned around and walked towards the lift.

"Next job….?" Umi and Maki said in unison.

"Yup… I'm going to do what real girlfriends should do…." She replied with a wink before she entered the lift and left the room. Umi and Maki turned to look at each other—still wondering what she was actually talking about.

* * *

The Earth—School of magic, afternoon;

Kotori stood in front of the class—in the class where Nozomi usually taught. The students were very quiet and unmotivated. Kotori might have not been bothered with such an atmosphere, but for the students….

"Hmmm…why is this class so dead now…." said one of the male student, Kotori turned around to see him. The class didn't make respond and just kept writing in their note books…

"Writing theories is boring, you know…." he said again. Still no response from them. Kotori smiled at him,

"Then—do you want to play a game?" Kotori asked.

"We had enough with playing Llama tags… and…no more hide and seek either…" said a female student.

"And we absolutely don't want any bloodshed either…." said a male student.

"Everything seems to be very boring without Nozomi-sensei…" another continued.

Kotori soften her gaze and gave out a fake smile,

"Am I really that boring…?" Kotori asked.

"N-No-no…you're not, Kotori-sensei!" said a girl as she stood up in panic.

"Eh—let's just be blunt… she has no idea why she is teaching—she is that kind of teacher who just work for money and not for passion…" said another girl,

Kotori widened her eyes in surprise, as those words started to shoot invisible arrows through her heart,

"O-Oi! Kyoko! Don't be that blunt!" a girl protested.

"Heh—she has to face it. If she doesn't have any passion in teaching, she should just give up and do something more useful in her life… that's what Nozomi-sensei always told us to do, right? Always live for your passion, not for your responsibility…" she said.

"W-well, yes…. But hey, now…. she is right in front of us…"

"I'm just telling the truth… that is what I see from her… and she doesn't even prove herself to be capable of doing this job… I could've fallen asleep by now if I didn't keep myself awake with candies…"

"Kyoko is right, even Hanayo-sensei is a lot more interesting to watch… and you know what I said yesterday? She is super boring… so casual and so calm—I can hear the insects singing!"

"T-That's not true! Kotori-sensei is already trying her best too!" another girl said.

"Y-yeah! Stop judging her for not being passionate about her job! She might be passionate about it!"

"Yes!"

And the class started to argue with each other, Kotori seems to be very confused about what to do with this. Her mind was mixed up as she listened to the students arguing and keep comparing her to Nozomi, who they really adore lately.

As the words kept pouring out, Kotori started to cover her ears and sparks starting to come out of her—the students paused as they noticed the sparks…

"W-who-whoa! Kotori-sensei! S-S-Stop! Don't harm us!" a male student said.

"Y-yeah! Kotori-sensei! I'll make sure they all shut up!" a female student said.

"I'm not going to shut up—let her be angry, she will never be able to change the reality that way!"

Those words were trapped in her ears and could swear that something very sharp had stabbed deep inside her heart. Her eyes started to sting from the tears that threatened to fall out but she quickly shook her head before she ran out of the room.

"K-Kotori-sensei!" a few students called her, eventhough she was already gone from the classroom very quickly.

"Sheesh! Seriously! We only have a few months left before graduation! Are you all nuts?" a student said.

"Leeching to a teacher won't do any good to our life… we might get good grades but for what? I personally believe Nozomi-sensei is the best teacher as she taught us how life truly is, even though she might've been too cruel at times. She taught us to keep experimenting and to keep trying hard even if we have to fail a thousand times…"

"That's you— we don't want to waste our time in school for too many years…"

"Yeah—I'm going to open up a food shop instead of being a mage, I don't give a damn about my magic power!" another said.

"So true! Our city is safe enough, why do we have to rely on our own powers—that's such bullshit…" said some of the students as they left the classroom.

"But we live in a world of magic! We have to at least understand how things goes! We can't just abuse our power randomly!" a student shouted—yet it was completely ignored as the class started to get deserted slowly.

* * *

Terra—The Workshop;

Nozomi carefully approached Eli who seemed to be still busy with the blueprints she was working on. Nozomi thought that she could at least try and surprise her—but….

"I'm making lines, so don't mess me up…" Eli said immediately before Nozomi could even reach her,

Nozomi decided to not proceed with her plan again and instead, just walked closer and smiled,

"Ericchi…. I've heard about everything…" she said cutely.

"Good… then can you please shut up about it now? I don't want to talk about it…." Eli replied—a little coldly.

"Hmm…but what if I want to make a comment or at least do something about it?"

"No… just please don't even try to remind me about it. It's the past… I've left that behind…"

"You're not leaving it behind if it still haunts you whenever someone brings that up…. if you truly moved on, you should've been ok if anyone talks about it…"

"Vivian was killed recently, I'm still bitter about that, ok?"

"I know—but I don't care, because I've decided to become your lover, so you will have to replace everything about her…. beside—she doesn't even—"

"Vivian cares about me…. she was just not showing it… and no one can see it but me…"

"Which means, you're being delusional… just like how your fans live in a delusion about you…."

Eli remained quiet as she placed down her tools and turned around to look at Nozomi,

"What are you saying… I told you that no one can see how she cares about me…" she said as she took off her working headwear.

"Then tell me what has she done for you that makes so you sure that she cares about you…."

"W-well…she….." Eli paused, not being able to pull out an answer….

Nozomi waited for her with a smile on her face.

Eli sighed softly,

"Alright…she didn't do anything…." She said.

Nozomi giggled,

"I know you'll have a hard time, because after all… you and her…it was a one sided love… or let's say, in other words, while you care 100% for her, she gave you 0% in return and only centered everything around her own life. She manipulated you and dump you when you were no longer able to feed her with your money…"

"You don't know about her, she is—…." Eli said.

"You just need a pair of eyes and a couple of good friends to tell you the truth…" Nozomi cuts in.

Eli stopped as she clenched her fist,

"…. You have to understand that not everyone's gentleness means kindness… knowing how you always reacted when I talk with bad words, I believe this crush of yours, Vivian always talked like a princess…. Right?"

Eli turned her eyes away,

"That's a yes…." Nozomi said.

Eli smirked slightly,

"No wonder you could hardly be romantic with me— you still have her in your mind, right? Even if she is dead…" Nozomi added again.

"It's not that easy to forget her ….. silly…." Eli said bitterly.

"Just keep looking at me now…." Nozomi quickly grabs both of her hands and touched it right on her breast. Eli remain quiet as her eyes focused on how her hands are completely on the best spot… but then she realized something as well….

"Have you not learn your lesson? Yesterday was a total chaos…. And if we keep doing this, you'll get hurt…." Eli said.

"Screw them, they can keep screaming their heart out and ranting about this. They can keep hating and they can keep being jealous. But you and me will never be over, even if I have to fight all of Terra to teach them a lesson… Whatevers between you and me is one case, and whats between me and them are a whole different case… You have to learn to split them…"

Eli sighed again,

"Alright…. If you say so, but you know what? It wasn't because I still like her…. I've heard enough to make myself feel stupid to like her… She remained in my mind because what she has turned me into and the way she reacted to me that time…."

"Tell me more about it—No one has those details but you…."

Eli smirked slightly, then she turned to the small bed on the side of the room and sat on it. Nozomi followed her and decided to sit next to her and placed both of her hands on Eli's shoulder along with her jaw, leaning against her very closely.

"There was a time where I tried to apologize to her, even though I know I've done nothing wrong… I still wanted to make up with her…" Eli started,

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"….and she brushed me off completely….then I asked one of her close friends to help…. She didn't tell me much about how it went, but she just said, that maybe Vivian needed some time…. So…. I said, I can wait… but I knew it will never happen…. I've never been in her mind after all… because she only cared about her own life…."

"Then that means you and her are over completely, right?"

"Yes…we are, but anyway, she told the world that I was trying to make up with her just so that I can cling onto her and get a name from her—she thought that she was so popular that everyone who watched her, loved her… so if at any case I'm trying to get close to her is just because I need her…. truth is—I was worried if she will actually commit self suicide when she got too stressed or being harmed by those who pretend to like her because of lust…"

"….and you're only worried if everyone see you that way?" Nozomi asked.

"Pretty much…."

Nozomi giggled,

"Oh come on! You shouldn't worry about it if you know you're no one like that, besides, I understand how painful it is to be judged because someone is being too open about her experience with us— but think again, you have such an amazing personality—and I believe it was they who judged you who lost such a person like you… you lost nothing…" she said as she brushed her hand on the blonde's chin.

"If I think that way, wouldn't that make me a self centered person like her too?"

"In this case, there's a slight difference between self centered and self conscious, Ericchi, if you're the one who thinks that way, it's not a delusion… I can guarantee that because I see you that way—and I can make sure of it because I know everyone sees it that way too…"

Nozomi plants a soft kiss on her cheek,

"…say though, after yesterday…. How do you think people will see me as?" Nozomi asked as her lips parted away.

Eli remain quiet for a moment as her eyes kept looking at Nozomi—and for some reason, she could feel something itching her to start touching her, which she decided to not resist. She pulled Nozomi to her lap and embraced her closely. Giving her a single peck on her lips.

"…I don't know…. I'm never good at realizing such things… maybe the only thing I know about is that people are going to judge me as stupid for choosing an unknown person like you…they keep yelling about how unworthy you are for me yesterday…" the blonde replied as she leaned to the small bed.

"….and do you think I'm worthy?" Nozomi asked with a teasing glance,

"I don't see why you would be unworthy" Eli smirked "I think you are the most beautiful person I've ever seen….and the only one who understands me completely… I never give a damn about my partner's popularity or wealth or anything..."

Nozomi chuckled as she gently brushed her hands against her shoulder.

"….well, you do look at me because of my breast and cute face though…"

"That's a plus point…. There's something else I like about you…" Eli smiled slightly as she started to grab Nozomi's hips and venture herself up through her curves. They smile at each other as their hands keep traveling, despite the tight rubber suit that they wore—they can feel each other's touch and warmth.

"…then tell me what you like about me…or at least, a reason why you accept me…" the torquoise eyed girl whispered seductively as she leaned closer,

As turned on as she is, the blonde groped around Nozomi's hips then down to the lower curves gently, trailing up to her shoulder as she pressed her lips against her neck.

"It's a trap question, isn't it? I can't possibly tell my reason because I just know that you're attracting me more than anyone else…"

"You can always make up a reason… I'll listen to you…"

Eli giggled,

"Then perhaps, one of it is because you're so nosy about me—I've never had anyone press me so hard, even though I keep protesting, I like the way you care about me and ignoring all the things that I used as a reason to keep you away…."

"Then you like me to force something on you?" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"No…"

Nozomi giggled,

"I'm joking, I know you're not a masochist..."

"What about you?"

"Hmm…? You're asking me if I'm a masochist? I don't think so… I'm pretty forceful myself—and I don't like losing… especially to you…"

"You don't like losing to me? But you haven't been that aggressive lately…" Eli said teasingly,

"You want me to be aggressive? I can do that if you want…"

"as long as you're not harming anyone…."

And they pressed their lips together, just a few gentle peck along with their adventurous touches.

"Like yesterday?" Nozomi asked.

"I was kind of hoping that you didn't have to get through that, but I'm glad you decided to fulfill your promise to not use violence against them…"

"Are you really happy if I don't stand up to them?"

"They're just a small part of society that are trying too hard to be heard. They want to be known as the bigger part of society so whatever they're doing is what everyone does…"

"How you can be so sure they're just a small part of society, what if they're in fact the bigger part?"

"That can't be… if they're the bigger part of society, this place could've been crumbling away many years ago… The truth about the rest of the society are they who only see your exposed life drama as an entertainment… they just watch and talk about it to their friends… besides, like I said before, people here are trained to treat each other like brother and sisters…"

"Then… are those who attacked me before—…?"

"They're the exception I was talking about… they're those kind of people which either they who just love to scream their heart out or they who live in their own world and call out the blame on society for not caring about them…"

"Hmm…. but what if they're just not good with people? Like you—an awkward baby who acts cool…."

"Oh they would not attack you… those who realize they're not good with people would often be aware of themselves… but they—they were just simply doing something that I can't even believe… they're insane and full of themselves…"

"I would blame you for being such a irresistible hottie…" Nozomi said teasingly before she kissed her lover deeply.

As their touches began tp get more wild—and their lips enjoying each other, Eli moved her hands to touch the suit's lock on the other girl's back, unlocking her suit, and carefully slipping in her hands to look for the part she wanted to touch so badly. A part that she had missed, even though their last intimacy took place yesterday morning.

It was too addictive—too hard to resist… and Eli knows that it's the only thing she is addicted to lately…other than her endless addiction to chocolate.

"W-wait…Ericchi, we can't do this here, remember? Your juniors are on the second floor…"

Eli paused,

"I want real privacy when we're doing this, ok?" Nozomi said.

Eli turned her sight to the phone on the other side of the room as it hung on the wall— she quickly got up and carried Nozomi along, with her strong arm. She headed to the phone and quickly pressed a few buttons before it connected to her contacts,

"Need something?" Umi asked politely from the phone.

"Hey, can you two browse for the recent upgrades? There might be somethings you might still be interested in to insert in the weapon blueprints…" Eli said.

"Ah—that would be great to check out what's in the shop…"

"And maybe get some ingredients for lunch too…" Eli continued.

"Understood… I'll hurry up and go…" Umi replied.

"Hey, why don't you two tag along?" Maki asked.

Eli paused for a moment,

"I still have to give a few basic lessons to Nozomi…" Eli said.

Nozomi swears she was about to burst out laughing as she heard the excuse the blonde had just made.

"Oh—alright, then we'll wait…"

"No, go on first…. Then we will catch up to you two and ask what's good… we don't have all day—remember that we still have to take Nozomi to learn how to ride today…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Oh–right, we have to teach her that…"

"Should we rent a ship?" Umi asked.

"It should be fine for now—she will ride my ship…"

"Then, we should go and ask for one passenger seat upgrade in your ship…." Umi said.

"That would be nice, thanks a lot, Umi…" Eli replied.

"Alright, then off we go now…" and the phone lost its connection as the blue-haired warrior hung up the phone. Eli turned her eyes to Nozomi—who has been waiting patiently in her arm,

"So… should I have a basic lesson about how to ride you before I learn how to ride your ship?"

Eli chuckled before she placed Nozomi down and started to strip her as she ran her soft lips down Nozomi's neck…

* * *

The Earth, Teacher's office;

Kotori was sitting on her teacher's seat next to the stack of papers and books. She remained quiet as she quickly wrote a resign letter. Her eyes dark and her eyebrow slightly frowned, and her lips doesn't seems to show any hint of calmness.

A few teachers, in the same room with her, didn't appear to care much about her. A few minutes passed when Hanayo walked into the room, then she carefully took a sit on the seat right in front of her. The desk is yet full of papers as well—yet Hanayo as calm as she is, slowly began to work on it.

Minutes passed, as Hanayo finally noticed that Kotori doesn't seems to be alright seeing how the girl in front of her was rushing through her paper works. There was an obvious hint of stress in her face and the way she did her work.

"Kotori-chan…?" Hanayo called.

Kotori paused—then she look at Hanayo with a fake smile.

"Yes?" her voice was light as a feather and doesn't feel like a voice of a burdened person.

Hanayo took a peek of the paper she was working on—it's just a pile of written exams for her classes and Nozomi's former classes.

"Do you need help? I don't mind to take more of the job…" Hanayo said.

"Ah—no, it's fine…. I can work on these…. Besides, we don't want to hold Kayo-chan that long. Since Kayo-chan is just here for half the semester too!" Kotori said.

"Uhh…I want to help out as much as I can for this half of the semester though, so, please give me some more work…maybe you can just hand all of Nozomi-chan's class to me?"

"Mmm…no-no, Kayo-chan, I don't want to burden you that much, you'll be too tired to take care of this much work, especially since you will still need to take care of your farm tonight…"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm taking my job as a hobby, so, I don't mind, really…"

Kotori's silence started to make Hanayo feel a little awkward—so she also started to look for the papers on Kotori's table and picked up a pile.

"Here, I'm taking these…" she said.

Kotori smiled faintly,

"Kayo-chan….."

"Hehe—I'm here to support after all… so let me do my job, ok?"

"Yup! Thank you, kayo-chan!"

And the two continued to do on their work.

* * *

DAT Planet—µ's ship;

Niko, Rin, and Honoka docked the ship near the police station. While Niko was left taking care of the registration, Rin and Honoka sat on the sofa, eating the snacks that were served on the table.

"Hmmm I can't forget the nice food from here-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah! They make really good bread too!" Honoka said.

Then a figure—that looked like a human with dark blue lizard skin, strange dragon-like head shape with a pair of horns, white eyed and buff body approach them,

"ha… I didn't expect a human to appreciate that…" said the heavy masculine voice.

Honoka and Rin turned towards the voice, he was wearing a white uniform—somewhat making him look like a chief of some sort.

"Eh? Who are you-nya?" Rin asked.

"Oh—sorry, I'm Briand… nice to meet you…" he said.

"hmm..You're talking in our language very fluently!" Honoka said.

"Haha—of course, I had to learn all of your languages to be able to communicate, thanks to our great brain, we can speak in a lot of languages…"

"Uhn…what are you doing here though-nya?" Rin asked.

"Just passing by and accidentally heard you two appreciating our snacks. I'm flattered…"

"Hehe—we just like to eat anything really-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Haha! By the way! You two are the fake-pirate that everyone talks about, right? We're currently examining your ship, it could've been better if you used better ingredients, Earth's metal are terrible…" he said.

"Well—we just happen to make it there so, yeah…." Honoka said a little shyly.

"Don't worry, I'm not saying that it's bad, the materials are very well crafted and arranged, I believe you've got a professional engineer to work on it…. and the thing that we can't believe is, you mixed two technologies into one creation, it's really amazing… who knew Cyber-Magic can be exist in such quality…?"

"Eh? Have no one else made something like that nya?"

"Nope, Mages are too stingy to share their knowledges with the outsider, they limited their shared knowledge and never ever shared about their magic technology to us police. It's very troublesome… but it's not like the Terra people aren't stingy as well, they only share basics up to intermediate—but never about the expert… and they only teach expert to they who will work in the main server of their own… or to those proud and emotionless valkyries…" Briand Smirked,

Honoka and Rin looked at each other–wondering about the valkyries that they've never met before.

"Anyhow though, who is the engineer of that ship?" he asked,

"Ayase Eli and Toujou Nozomi!" Honoka replied.

"Wait, what? Ayase Eli? We've got a record about her rank in Terra, but man, what kind of perfect being is she? Excellent in battle and good at Engineering too? Geez…. And uh, that Toujou Nozomi though, I hope she isn't the same Toujou Nozomi from Earth—one that has a massive murder records…"

"Eh, but she is the same one though…" Honoka replied.

"What? Alright man, this ship is a legend—if only it was built with better materials. We need to copy this ships blue prints and apply it to our ships… hopefully, it can help us in dealing with the real pirates…"

"I'm sure it will-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"But man, how do they even get along?" Briand said as he raised his eyebrow.

* * *

The Terra's Shopping district;

The two soldiers were browsing around at the shop, noticing how a few pair of eyes kept looking at them and overheard a group of adults talk about them…

"Hey-hey, have you heard about yesterday?"

"Ah? About the attack? Yeah, I read it in the bulletin, said that crazy fan girls attacked Ayase Eli's new girlfriend…"

"Yeah— that's such a misfortune for her girlfriend, she was kind of cute…"

"I believe that too! Being popular is painful.. but I'm glad Ayase Eli decided to not to be carried down by that… she keeps making ace marks in all of her studies…"

"Yeah, she is such a good girl— I wonder why her family left her?"

"I don't know? Maybe it's because she is no longer a human?"

Maki felt a nerve pop as she overheard the conversation. Umi noticing it, quickly pat Maki's shoulder to stop her from saying anything about it.

"Yeah, I guess… that's a bad luck for her, if she was interested in my son, I'll accept her instantly…"

"Nah—I think she prefer girls? Maybe try to offer your daughter later, maybe she wants to break up with her current girlfriend for her?"

"Haha, no way, my daughter rather prefer sticks than peanuts… less cost for the reproduction too!"

And the adults laughed amusedly.

Maki smirked and she quickly left the area, Umi remain quiet as she followed after her.

"Why would they not include Eli as human just because of the small part of her?" Maki grumbled,

"They're just a small part of the real society, let's not worry about them…" Umi said.

"Someone need to tell them to shut the hell up…"

Umi sighed,

"I know, but…. we can't just let our emotions consume us…."

"Why are you not telling them? You can be blunt about it, right?" Maki protested.

"Maki…. Listen, it's just doesn't work that way…"

"You could scold me, you could tell Eli what's wrong, but why not them?"

"That's…That's because….. they have nothing to do with us…"

"They were just talking about her! About Eli! Our senior!"

"But they didn't do any harm to her—and we don't have anything to do about it either! It just their usual judgement—aren't we supposed to get used to it? Why are you so bothered now?"

"Because it has been like this for too long! People need to stop thinking that Eli is not a human—she is still a human!"

"I know—we all know! But we really can't do anything about it, even if we're mad at them, they won't stop… right?"

"But it'll teach a small group of people!"

"And grow a thousand more judgement about us too? Don't be ridiculous, Maki, we're supposed to get used to it…"

Maki sighed heavily.

"Alright, let's drop this… you're being stubborn and we can't agree…"

"Yes, let's do that…"

Maki turned her sight away to a shops window display,

"Hey, look… that tablet protector suits your hair color…" she said a little awkwardly,

"AH, Dark blue… yes…. I'll get that for myself later… but what about you? interested on the red one? I think they have a blazing red one, it will fit your hair color…" Umi replied with a slight awkward smile,

"I think so, I need something new for myself…" Maki said.

Then the two sighed before they heard someone screaming their name.

"Ah—Maki-chan! Umi-chan!" Nozomi called out to them as she waved her hands in the air and approached them.

Umi and Maki turned to her,

"N-Nozomi…." the two were surprised, a few people turned their eyes to them all as Nozomi approach them with Eli next to her. She was surprisingly very orderly with her hair braided to the side very neatly.

"Hyaa! Maki-chan! Umi-chan! Done with the browsing?" Nozomi asked cutely.

Maki and Umi glanced at Eli who seems to be looking away—pretending that she has no idea about what's going on.

"N-Nozomi… Don't act weird…" Maki whispered,

"Y-yes…. I think people are looking at us now…" Umi whispered.

"That's the point…. I want to make an image for myself, ok?" Nozomi whispered back.

"Oh, ok…then…what should we do?" Maki asked.

"Just be normal, act like it's nothing strange…." Nozomi whispered.

"Alright…." Umi whispered.

"Well, we got some stuff that we're interested in, but still not quite sure…" Maki replied.

"Yes, I have one too…" Umi getting really nervous.

"That's good! Then is there anything that might be useful for me?" Nozomi asked again.

"Uh…well, there are plenty of upgrades for the tablet that you might want here, but I suggest you to master it first…." Umi replied,

"Hey, Umi, you should at least pretend that she already knows about it from long ago…" Eli whispered.

"Oh …I mean…master..your game…." Umi said.

"Umi…you're terrible at this aren't you…." Maki whispered.

"Sorry… it was too sudden…" Umi whispered back.

"Ah—! let's go look around once again, maybe you can show me what you think is interesting?" Nozomi asked cutely.

"That would be nice…" Umi said.

"Then what are we waiting for! Let's go!"

And they walk through the shop some more.

* * *

The earth, Road to the village, Dusk;

Kotori and Hanayo were on their horses moving slowly towards the village. Kotori seemed to be extremely quiet and her face still remained gloom. Hanayo, knowing that there is something wrong, decided to keep quiet and wait for Kotori to say something.

Though as they keep moving closer to the village, Hanayo finally tried to start a conversation.

"Kotori-chan…." she called.

"Yes, Kayo-chan?" Kotori turned to her with a fake smile,

"Is there something bothering you? You can talk to me, like always…" Hanayo said.

"Ah—well… you see, Kayo-chan, even if we talk about it now, there is nothing that we can do about it…." Kotori replied.

"But wouldn't talking about it make you feel better…even just a little?"

Kotori sighed weakly,

"It's alright, I'm just giving thinking about some things…" she replied—still with a faked smile.

"Don't push yourself too hard… We all know you're doing your best…" Hanayo said.

Kotori paused for a moment.

"That's a lie isn't it?" Kotori said coldly.

"Eh? No…I'm not lying…" Hanayo began to fluster

"No…. what everyone knows, is that I never do my best!" Kotori's voice started to raise a few octaves without even realizing.

Hanayo remain quiet as she could see how frustated Kotori looked.

"They always say that I never do my best! They always say that I'm not doing what I want! They always tell me to just work where my passion is—but they don't know what I've been dealing with!" she yelled out again.

"K-Kotori-chan…?" Hanayo flustered.

"…and you did tell me the same thing as well…Kayo-chan…so you don't need to try to make me feel better…. I know what you think about me!" Kotori yelled again.

"Calm down, Kotori-chan… We—…"

"Aaahhh! No more!" Kotori cuts in.

Hanayo stopped,

Kotori tried to catch her breath…

Then she sighed heavily,

"Sorry, Kayo-chan…. let's just go home…" Kotori said.

Hanayo nodded with doubtful and worried eyes, but decided to stay quiet as she followed her friend to the village.

* * *

**Ok, next chapter should be coming up soon, but the next-next chapter will have to delay. I have something to do first. Again, really sorry that you all have to wait!**


	21. Deadliest Poison

**Here we go, next chapter**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows**

**Thanks to Crimson for edits! She also said sorry because she had this one delayed due to her busy days.**

**We both are busy lol. But we tried our best to finish this~**

* * *

A few months passed,

The Soldiers and their officially new member, walked to their dorm room. They embraced each other in a very friendly manner.

"Oh God… that was pretty close. I totally didn't expect it coming…" Nozomi said as she giggled,

"You were great though, to be able to shoot very accurately. I would have missed there…" Umi complimented her fellow soldier.

"Well, I had to add a very small amount of miracle there to make it accurate, I think it was about 5 millimeters too far from the real spot…" Nozomi said.

"Nozomi, don't tell me, you're using that?" Eli frowned slightly,

"Well—as long as I survive, right? That's the only thing that matters…"

"True, but you should be a lot more careful and start depending on your physical skills…"

"It was a very very small amount, besides, you're the one who decided to turn my gun-blade into a katar-shield-gun, you did that so I could use it without anyone knowing, right?"

"It just to help you, but really… people are't that blind… and there are still some haters lurking around you, right?" Eli rested her hands on her hips, "The battlefield is not that friendly, you know… they could shove you down to a burning pit at any time they wished.."

"They can try anytime, but you know I'll survive…" Nozomi replied with a mocking smile.

"But seriously, those people never gave up, do they?" The blue-haired soldier sighed in disgust, "The latest news about them are sick—I mean, why would they try to explode Nozomi's space ship? We're all working so hard for it…"

"They have nothing else to do other than spend their days worshiping their own delusions. Even if they work, I bet they are still browsing and stalking endlessly…" Eli replied.

"…and they'll start complaining if they get fired and forced to clean the sewers to keep their economy on the line…" Maki scoffed.

Nozomi giggled,

"Speaking of which, the job you asked me to do before–it was really fun… I have always loved photography and documentary…" she said.

"I'm surprised you said that, knowing how you treat your own home…" Eli said.

"Sheesh! I'm not that sloppy, Ericchi! I can be extra organized too— anyhow, most of my work pieces are kept in the school library, you should've come to visit there and be amazed of my journalistic skills… and my fortune telling…" Nozomi said.

"Fortune Telling? Give me a break, there's no such thing…" Maki said.

"That would be the last thing I'll ever believe…" Umi said.

"Not going to believe that one…" Eli said.

"There! All of you! You're underestimating my power!"

"That kind of thing is just a scam, we all know that… people just have this luck and misfortune at random times…" Eli said.

"Yes… and you just can't predict future… there is no such thing!" Maki crossed her arms, looking completely uninterested.

"Not to talk about that magic do exist, but then because it exists, the only possibility is that the future is either crafted or well prepared. A cause that comes from the past and obvious result at a later time…" Umi explained.

"Which basically means that the ability to predict the future is nothing more than understanding the past…" Maki added.

"or just an ability to analyze the present…" Eli concluded.

Nozomi frowned after hearing the trio take the mattle of fortune telling lightly.

"Three of you, do you all want to witness the true power of mine?"

"Huh? Are you going to pick a fight with all of us or something?" Maki asked.

"Nozomi… you're not good at the art of brawling yet…." Eli said.

"Can we do that tomorrow? I'm kind of tired after the mission…" Umi said.

"Nope, I was talking about something else! Let's get in the room and do it!"

"It….?" The trio flustered in confusion.

* * *

The earth, dusk;

Hanayo and Kotori rode on their horses it as slowly galloped back to the village. The two were awfully quiet, it seems that them being in silence happened more often than not, recently. Hanayo realized that something was wrong with her friend lately, and her slightly thiner figure and messy fashion confirmed her suspicions. It wasn't like Kotori to dress improperly, and the timid girl knew that, and she needed a way to try and have her friend revert back to how she was before.

"Kotori-chan… we're done with the students now, and I have heard that you resigned too… what do have in mind for the future?" Hanayo asked in a very friendly manner.

"I don't know…" she replied weakly.

"Ah—then, why don't you work with me in my farm? I have a lot of spot for workers…" Hanayo said.

"I don't have passion for farming…" Kotori replied.

"Oh…I see…then….what about, tailoring? I know you like tailoring…"

"It's a waste of resources, no one wants to wear it… and there's no use for me to do so…"

"Uhn…then… I guess you're going to focus only on your alchemy, huh?"

Kotori stopped in her tracks, after Hanayo asks her the question,

"Kotori-chan?" Hanayo called again, noticing the adrupt stop.

Kotori not being able to respond suddenly ran away with her horse. Hanayo couldn't get more flustered than this. But even then she decided to just continue moving on slowly as she tried to think of a way to approach her.

* * *

The Police station;

Niko, Honoka, and Rin returned to the police station with a few of goods that they were unload from their ship.

"Waah… this is so hard to believe-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah—considering we've worked so hard to get these things, we finally can get it from those imbecile farts…" Niko huffed.

"Our job is finally almost done! I want to go home!" Honoka said as she stretched.

"Good timing, all of you…." Tsubasa said.

"Eh? What is it?" Honoka turned to face Tsubasa who approached them along with a woman with dark brown with a few strands of white hair, who was wearing a brilliant armor as well…

"This is Eir Rangrid, my friend, a first class Valkyrie recruited from Terra…." Tsubasa introduced her,

"W-woah! V-V-Valkyrie! Really Tsubasa?" Niko said excitedly.

"W-wow! Your armor looks so cool too-nya!" Rin mused along.

"Put the chit-chat aside, I'm not here to joke around…" Eir replied coldly.

"S-So cold…." Niko smirked,

"I'm here to get information that I demanded from long time ago…" Eir continued.

"Oh, well, you see, we just got here and still didn't get to examine our goods…"

"You all lack of discipline, when I said I want you to finish it by today, I want it to be finished today! Understand?!…"

"Y-yeah…but…" Honoka tried to make an excuse.

"No excuses, you're all incompetent…" Eir replied coldly.

"Stay for a while… I'll go examine it quick… Don't worry, it won't take more than 12 hours." Tsubasa said as she turned around and started gathering her tools.

"Very well, mean while, I want to know more about what you all got so far other than these goods…" Eir said as she glanced sharply at Niko, Honoka and Rin.

"A lot of things, firstly it was about the mastermind of the move, we were right about The Seven Stars of the Black Sea, they're indeed the ones who gathered the power, but we don't know where they got such an advanced technology—maybe they caught a few people from each planet to advance? Not sure…" Niko reported.

"Oh—there's also this-nya! Apparently, they also have been recruiting for armies, we didn't try to get in their list, but we know that there should be about 666 big ships with 400 people in each ship. I doubt they will be able to train them all professionally though-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah, other than because they don't appear to be smart enough to do it, they all seem to be a little too drunk and very consumptive. They spend about 200 gallons of wine each day for 50 people and over a thousand low quality breads and fishes…" Honoka said.

"But that also means, that they're a lot more aggressive and greedy-nya!" Rin said.

"Not to talk about their usual activity—let's just say, brawling all night… what a kid…"

"Brawling is not what kids do— it's what tough people do… know the difference…" Eir said coldly.

"E-eh? W-Well…I'm not trying to offend, but really, why do they have to hit each other over a glass of beer…"

Anjuu—who just came into the room giggled,

"Niko-chan, Brawling in Terra is a custom…" she said as she moved in to help Tsubasa examining the goods.

"W-what?" Niko flustered.

"The point of brawling is not to hit the shit out of people, it's to tell how much you insist… they will do that if they really have to decide something and can't agree with each other…" Erena said as she joined in the room as well.

"Still doesn't make sense…we can always, you know, argue…" Niko said.

"You can join up with the girly girls if you like to argue until your voice runs out… or just play the back stabbing game with them and expect them to kill you in the battlefield…" Eir said in an indifferent tone.

"W-whoa… that's pretty spot on…really… but I don't want to join any of them… thank you." Niko smirked.

"Yeah-nya, we're fine nya…" Rin said.

"Say though, I wonder how much older you are than Eli-chan?" Honoka asked.

Eir raised her eyebrow,

"Eli-chan….?" She tried to confirm.

"Ayase Eli…" Erena said to make it clear.

"What do you know about her?" Eir asked, somewhat very interested in the topic.

"Uh, well, we met her on Earth, and—…"

"The Earth? She went there?" Eir asked before Honoka could finish.

"Well, yes, for vacation…" Honoka replied.

Eir frowned,

"I see…. Then I'll have to do something about it quick…" she said,

"Eh, but she was already back to Terra six months ago-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah, and Terra is going to move to another galaxy in a week… so I doubt she will be going anywhere…" Niko added.

"That's too bad-nya, I kinda loved their free meals…" Rin said.

"Yeah, the meal was great…." Honoka said,

"You know we can always go wherever they go, we have a ship…" Niko smirked.

"Oh. true!" Honoka replied.

Eir still frowning,

"What did she do on Earth?" she asked,

"A lot of things, but mostly, she spent her time with Nozomi-chan…" Honoka said.

"Nozomi-chan? Who is this Nozomi?" Eir asked aggressively.

"Toujou Nozomi, she is a mage from earth… I think they both were trying to learn from each other right now, it's something positive though…so we don't need to worry about it…" Tsubasa said.

"I know her… but what's their relationship?"

"Uh… girlfriend?" Rin said.

"Girlfriend?" Eir asked again,

"yes…girlfriend… or at least that's what we heard from them recently…" Niko said.

"What's the meaning of that, a warrior shouldn't fall in love… has she gone insane?" Eir said agitatedly.

"Oh come on, that's you, I don't think Eli wants to be a warrior… she might want to run up a workshop instead? Discovering mix technologies and advance the future for everyone…" Tsubasa said.

"Yeah, that's up to her…" Niko said.

Eir shook her head,

"No… that's not how it's supposed to be, she is supposed to be joining us, Valkyries…"

"I wouldn't plan a future for her if I was you.. it's her life, let her decide it…" Tsubasa said.

"No…I have to do something about it…" Eir said before she stormed out of the police station.

"What's with her…so persistent…" Honoka wondered,

"Uh, should we go after her-nya?" Rin asked.

"Just let her go… she won't be a trouble, don't worry…" Tsubasa said calmly.

"I'm kind of worried, but I guess if you say so…" Niko said as she scratched her head in a confused manner.

"Good side, we have more time to examine things properly without having to listen to her rushing us…" Erena said.

"Very true…" Anjuu said.

And they continue to work on their job to examine their goods.

* * *

Terra— the Dorm Room;

A tennis table was set on the middle of the room, with Nozomi and Maki on each side and the other two watching them as they were seated in their own chairs.

"Alright—it's show down time, Maki-chan!" Nozomi said energetically as she held her paddle.

"W-why would we play table tennis to prove your point?" Maki asked as she held her own paddle.

"Because, I can show you that I can really predict the future without having to understand the past or the present! It really is magic!"

"Huh? Well…I still can't really see the point…"

"Just let me show you then" Nozomi smirked mischieviously

Taking in a deep breath Nozomi threw the ball up in the air half way and quickly hit it with her paddle, causing the ball to bounce across the table in a quick pace. Maki, noticing the ball proceeded with a counter hit having the ball bouce back to the other side at a faster pace. Nozomi without a second delay managed to do another counter strike, this time the ball with increased speed, but even then the red-head was able to hit it back.

"Not bad!" Nozomi said as she once again made another strike,

"Hah—this is too easy!" Maki smirked, countering the latter's hits rather quickly

"Really?" Nozomi smiled as the glint in her emerald ords turned into something more mischievious, while using the paddle to accurately hit the ball to output a side spin shot which Maki was still able to counter.

"I'm a very well trained assassin, thank you…" Maki responded with a lot of confidence

And before she knew it, Nozomi made an unexpected counter direction— which Maki actually didn't expect.

"Ah!" Maki turned to the side as she could see the ball disappearing behind her and a number appeared on the board.

"Point…." Nozomi smiled.

"That's just your luck…" Maki said as she pressed a button to spawn another ball.

Nozomi giggled,

"Don't worry, it's just the beginning…"

And the two started the new match quietly with much concentration. Eli and Umi watched them intensely, Umi looked amazed by the tactics that Nozomi played while Eli was clearly looking at something else.

_Harasho… even though she is wearing that tight rubber suit, I can still see her cleavage…._

She thought.

_I wonder how it looks like by now? It's been a while since I've seen her naked, now that I think about it… she has been eating our food and excercising too…_

She mentally started to blush while keeping her composed look on the outside.

As the time passed by, Maki and Nozomi finally got the result from their intense match.

"Yup… I'm a very lucky girl…" Nozomi chuckled.

"S-sheesh! But it still doesn't prove anything, you just won the game…." Maki retorted,

"Sure-sure, but anyhow, the thing is not in the match— it's here…." Nozomi placed down her paddle, then looked into the newest cupboard that the Trio made for her to keep her belongings temporary...

Nozomi took out a deck of tarot cards.

"Huh? Cards?" Maki raised her eyebrow confusedly,

"Yup, shuffle it—and think about your future while you're at it!"

Maki smirked slightly, though because she lost to her—she had no choice but to agree. Umi and Eli still watching them quietly, wondered what was coming up next…

As Maki shuffled, Nozomi kept her eyes on her fingers that carefully shuffled the cards. Then after a minute,

"Alright, that's enough… give me the cards…" Nozomi said.

Maki handed over the deck of cards. After having the deck in her hands, Nozomi picked up the top most card-

"The Fortune, hmm…. you're still on the roll… Maki-chan, a lot of options for the future that you can get… just be honest to yourself and everything is fine…. but I hope you know what I'm talking about." Nozomi said.

"Eh? Well…I hope you're right on that…" Maki replied still not so sure about the whole fortune telling thing.

"Now-now, its your turn, Umi-chan…" Nozomi turned to Umi.

"Can we just skip to the card picking?" Umi asked.

"Ohh! You are interested—I'm so happy…" Nozomi said as she cheerfully handed the card to Umi, who carefully shuffled the cards.

Then after a while, she handed the cards back to Nozomi.

Nozomi picked up the card on top of the deck, and widened her eyes…

"Hmm… there must be something wrong with this… you should really think about your future, ok? Don't just shuffle without thinking of anything…" Nozomi said.

"E-Eh? But I did…" Umi said.

"Then, let's try again…" Nozomi said as she handed over the cards to the archer.

Once again, Umi shuffled the cards, then handed it back to Nozomi a while later.

Nozomi picked up the card from the top of the deck again….

"Hmmm…. This is…. uh… strange, it can't be true, let's try again, Umi-chan…." Nozomi said.

"Again…? Alright…."

And again they repeated the same process…

This time, Nozomi pulled the card on top of the deck again, though she pushed it back to the deck and switched to another card under it.

_Reverse Chariot._

"Ah—alright, here is your result. You have to be quick to decide… because it does matter in your future. Also, you have to be very careful or you'll meet an end that you don't want to meet…" Nozomi said.

"I see… that's pretty interesting…" Umi said.

"I know, right…" Nozomi chuckled,

Then before they could do anything else, there was an incoming a phone call.

"Ah—phone…." Umi said before she quickly got up to accept it.

"Hello—…" and before Umi able to finish her greeting,

"Waaaaahh! U-Umi-chan!" Honoka shouted through the phone.

"W-whoa! Honoka! Don't be too loud!" Umi place a hand over her ears to recover from the painful ringing.

"Umi-chan! Umi-chan! I need you!" Honoka said.

"W-what? What do you need me for?" Umi asked.

"Well. uh…Let me connect you, hang on!" Honoka said before Umi could hear her trying to connect her to another call. Umi turned on the loud speaker,

"H-hello?" Hanayo's voice heard from the phone.

"Ah, Hanayo… can I help you?" Umi asked politely.

"W-well…th-this is bad…." Hanayo said in panic.

"Hmm…what kind of thing is bad?" Nozomi asked.

"W-wah! N-N-Nozomi-chan! I-Is that you?" Hanayo asked.

"Yup… what's up…?"

"P-p-please help! K-K-Kotori-chan is missing!" Hanayo said.

"She might be just going out to look for materials…" Nozomi said.

"I-I'm afraid it's not that simple! Sh-She is gone with all of her poisons! It-It's unusual!" Hanayo said.

"Hmm… with all of her poison, huh? Wonder what she want to do with it, maybe she is gone to the city to sell them?" Nozomi replied.

"At this time of night?" Hanayo asked.

"Night….? I didn't even realize it's night time…" Nozomi said.

"Uh… who forgot to turn on the auto day and night window…." Maki said.

"Ah–Sorry, that was me… was enjoying the view and plus that table tennis match too much…" Eli said.

"Sheesh, Ericchi….!"

"P-put that aside! This could be something serious!" Hanayo said.

"Relax, it's just Kotori-chan going off somewhere with all of her poison. She might be looking for something and needed the poison to assist her…" Nozomi replied.

"S-She has been acting really strange lately!" Hanayo said.

"Hmm… when is her actions not strange? She is an alchemist after all, she will act strange and make something strange as well…"

"No! Not that kind of strange! It's really strange and it's in a bad way!" Hanayo tried to explain without getting frustrated. Umi looked concerned as she heard it.

"Then, go on, look for her, we can't be going all the way from Terra to Earth just to look for her… this ship is going to move to another galaxy in a week…" Nozomi replied.

"But….I…I don't know where she went off to…."

"That's why you're looking for her, my guess, if she needed a place to brood, she should be in Spicaterrible, just a few kilometers to the west from Love Marginal Mountain—and she will sit on the abandoned train called the Blueberry Train… if you can't find her there, then I don't know where else to suggest.." Nozomi replied.

"I'll help you look for her Hanayo-chan!" Honoka volunteered loudly.

"T-Thanks! Honoka-chan!" Hanayo replied.

Then the call suddenly cut off,

"That was fast…." Maki said.

"Hey, should I try to help out?" Umi asked.

"That should be your decision, but I wouldn't be so worried if I were you. I just believe that Kotori-chan is doing fine without us… she is always that person who obeys the rules and do all the good things and enjoying her time… while Hanayo-chan is always that person who gets worried too fast…." Nozomi said.

"Then, I'll go…" Umi replied before she quickly left the room,

"Heh—she is taking your advice…" Maki said.

"You should too…" Nozomi shot back innocently.

"Hey, Umi—take this professional lover's advice! Never come empty handed!" Eli shouted teasingly.

"Shut up…Eli! this is just a friendly kindness!" Umi shouted from a distance.

"Well...there are some things in my mind right now… but…" Maki paused,

She averted her eyes,

"I'll be back, ok? I'm going to look for something…." she continued before she headed out of the room.

Nozomi chuckled,

"You are all so cute, really… I swear you all denied everything two hours ago…"

"I'm not going to believe it until it can be proven me, you know…" Eli said, leaning back on her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

Nozomi turned to her,

"Then, Ericchi should give it a try too…" Nozomi held the cards in front of the blonde, who sighed and unravelled her hangs to accept it.

As Eli began to shuffle the cards, someone suddenly rang the door bell.

"Ah, I'll get it…" Nozomi said before she quickly walked over to the door.

"Toujou Nozomi….?" A man in black and red uniform said as he stood in front of the door.

"Yup, that's me…" Nozomi replied.

"Someone wants to meet you in the lobby, she refuses to leave you the details, but she said she wants to meet you personally…" he continued.

"To meet me personally? I'm honored…" Nozomi giggled,

Then she turned to the blonde who seemed to be a little confused,

"I'll be back, Ericchi. Just wait, ok?" the torquoise eyes winked at her suggestively before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Eli remain quiet for a moment before she chuckled,

_Sheesh, Nozomi… moving up so quickly… did she get a new fan or something?"_

She thought s she kept shuffling the cards.

_But anyhow, to think about my future huh? Even though I'm not quite sure about it…_

She keep shuffling and as she stop to do so, she pulled out the top of the deck.

_The Hanged Man…._

She raised her eyebrow.

_What is this silly looking hanged man…_

She chuckled before she pushes the card back to the lowest part of the deck.

_More importantly though, who would believe that a deck of cards can predict the future? That's foolish…._

* * *

The earth, night time;

Hanayo waited on the big grass field with a lantern in her hands. Then after a few minutes passed, a dark blue space ship landed on the field carefully.

Hanayo tilted her head slightly to the side, wondering why she was not the person that she was expecting, though she was glad to see a familiar someone step down from the ship—someone in a black armored dark blue suit.

"Umi-chan…?" Hanayo said.

"Hanayo, sorry if I kept you waiting…" Umi said.

"No-no, you actually came a lot earlier than Honoka-chan…"

"Oh, really? Then I'll go on first, this is an emergency, right?"

"Uh…yes… because….Kotori-chan has been acting really strange from ever since you all left with Nozomi-chan…and I think, she just had enough and ….uh…I don't want to say it…"

"I understand, that's why I'm here. I already knew something was wrong from ever since back then…" Umi replied.

"I-Is that so?"

"Yup, but let's put that aside, I want you to hold on to this…" Umi handed her a cellphone,

"Uh? What's this?"

"It's a cellphone, I will call you once I find Kotori… you just need to press this button…" Umi showed her how the cellphone works.

"Oh, ok…."

"And now…." Umi turned back to her ship.

* * *

Terra—The Lobby's Private room;

Nozomi arrived in the room—and saw a very familiar woman with dark brown hair with a few white strands sticking out, sitting on the sofa. Nozomi smiled at her,

"Eir Rangrid, isn't it? Are you here to ask questions about my briefing or just to chat?" Nozomi asked.

"I'm not here to chat nor am I here to ask questions…." she replied coldly.

The purple haired woman chuckled amusedly as she approached the sofa, taking a seat right in front of her.

"Ohh….alright, I know, you want to have a staring contest instead?" Nozomi teased.

Eir frowned,

"Don't fuck with me!" she yelled,

"Who wants to fuck you anyway—I already have someone else to fuck with…" Nozomi mocked, completely unfazed by the other's attitude.

"Youuu!" she intimidated.

Nozomi chuckled,

"Now-now, you're the one who is wasting your time here. If you need something, you should just say it…" Nozomi leaned back on the couch and brought her leg over the other.

Eir frowned more, completely hating the first impression she had gotten from the purple-head, though she tried to calm herself down.

"I'm just here to confirm, are you Ayase Eli's girlfriend?"

Nozomi chuckled again,

"Oh my… you're here to just confirm that? That's really funny…"

"Just answer me!" she asked desperately.

Nozomi laughed at her,

"Yes…of course I am…" she replied.

Eir remain quiet for a moment as she heard it, then she took out her tablet and placed it on the table–projecting a set of articles.

"You're in a grave danger…" she said.

Nozomi scanned through the articles; a lot of it talked about how many kills Eli had done in each year–then also about her achievements in every battle.

"She is not what you think she is…." Eir continued,

"If you're just trying to tell me that she is a cold blooded murderer—I already know that… and I'm still in love with her anyway…"

"If you really love her—you must break her up and let her join the Valkyries…" Eir said.

"What? That's ridiculous. If I love her, I should let her choose where she wants to go and support her…"

"That's not the case! Eli's blood is corrupted—and the only way to purify her is to let her join us…"

"My, is this some kind of religion stuff? I have my own beliefs so I hope you're not trying to shove me in with yours…"

"No, it has nothing to do with religion! It's related to what happened to her long time ago…"

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"About her arm?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, I suppose you already know how she lost it…"

"The Planet Parasite?"

"Yes, but it's not a usual type. We Valkyries conducted a research about them—and apparently they carry a virus from the Endless Citadel..She didn't know this yet, no one else know but us!"

"Endless Citadel—you mean the city that was known to be the very first flying city?"

"Yes, I suppose you already know about the virus that ended the glory of the city…"

"Not really, I've heard about how it ended—but it was related to a curse, not a virus…"

"We can argue about that later, but either curse or virus, both will still give us one conclusion, Eli is infected… and you shouldn't get too close with her…"

"My—then I must've been infected too? I've been intimate with her for countless times now… "

"No, it doesn't work that way. The infection only spreads through the fully-transformed infected victim… it will take a really long time for one to transform, but it will hasten up as she gets close to another that is fully transformed…"

"…so while we're still safe, we need to prevent her from transforming into those creature…"

"What creatures are you talking about now?" Nozomi crossed her arms.

"The Berserker, what else? They're all caused by the same virus that contracts different creatures, including the planet parasite. but they don't make you stupid— they just give you an uncontrollable blood lust while also duplicating powers… just imagine if a tough soldier like Eli infected with such virus, it will be a lot of trouble… so that's why, you have to give up and let her join us…"

"I'm still not convinced… there's still too many holes in your excuses.."

"I'm not trying to make excuses, I'm trying to save you from being killed by her…"

"She won't… She has been very gentle to me—even though we play things roughly at times…"

"It's not a joke!"

"I'm not joking…I know she loves me and I love her too…"

Eir grunted in frustration,

"You're stubborn!"

"I know… and I know I made the right choice, so you don't need to tell me what to do…"

"Urgh! I hate you!"

"Yup, I hate you too… now if you'll excuse me…" Nozomi stood up and started to walk out of the room.

"Hey! Wait! We're not done yet!"

* * *

The Police station;

Niko, Rin, Tsubasa, Anjuu and Erena just finished examining the goods,

"….hmm..this is pretty interesting…" Tsubasa said.

"I would absolutely fund for this if it was planted for safety…" Erena said.

"I agree—the creator of this business plan must be a very brilliant and talented person… or perhaps a professional?" Anjuu said.

"From what we know though, those pirates themselves never actually have a relation with their mastermind, it's like none of them know how their big boss looks like…" Niko said.

"…but we know that the Seven Stars of the Black Sea are the ones giving the order from the big boss-nya, so if we can get information from them—…"

"That's impossible, the seven stars of the black sea are a tough enemy, they're very sneaky and very cruel, they won't even hesitate to impale you with their harpoon… they have a strong relationship like brothers and sisters, and trained as well as Terra's army, and as well equipped as us, the polices…." Erena said.

"Basically, they are what we fear… that's why we told you to spy on the regular pirates not them…alas, if we didn't fear them, we could've raided all pirates and force them to speak up about them."

"We don't want the event from 7 years ago to repeated again, those pirates really know how to blackmail us…" Anjuu said.

"Ah—yeah…. 7 years ago was a real mess…" Niko said.

"And by the way, this is just hypothetical, but what if these goods are related to the sentences…?" Anjuu asked.

"The sentences?"

"Yes, even though I'm not quite sure… but for some reason, I think if we bring these goods to Terra, they could try and re-build it back into an engine and see if it really is related or not.…" Anjuu suggested.

"Are you sure it's fine to do that? Do they even care?" Erena asked.

"Yup, I'm sure… this is for everyone after all, and remember that Terra always prioritize to protect all nearby planets, including the earth even though they're always rejected…"

"So what are we waiting for, we should hurry up and send these goods…" Tsubasa said.

"Alright then, let's pack them up everyone…" Erena said.

"Ok-nya!" Rin replied as she started to work along with Niko and the others.

* * *

The Valhala— Valkyrie's Hall;

The Valkyries seemed to be busy with preparation, Valkyrie Minami led the support as she kept her eyes on the tablet that she brought.

"Valkyrie Minami!" another valkyrie called.

"Yes?"

"I want to confirm this… According to the explanation from Toujou Nozomi that we received a few months back, she found a spot where The Seven Stars of the Black Sea sailed their first attack—and it will be at the Centaurus in 2 weeks, by then, the other pirates will do smaller attacks to three other planets including the earth. If we're able to defend against the first sail, they will try to attack to the second galaxy, which will be held about 5 days after the first sail, the third—if they are desperate enough, the earth will be their next target, but it will take approximately 4 months to get there with whole army of pirates. By then, we will have to set up out strongest defense and make sure that the police are ready… and leave the main ship to the…. Uh… µ's….?"

"Yes…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Who is this µ's? I've never heard of them…"

Valkyrie Minami chuckled.

"It's a group that will be naturally formed during the preparation time… I don't really understand why the hardest part should be left to them, but I'm sure Nozomi knows well about it… after all, she is a professional mind mage, despite her colorful history…" she said as she continued to chuckle.

"I see, then I'll go on to making contacts with the leaders of each related planets to make their preparation…"

"Thank you, may the God bless you…"

* * *

The Earth—Spicaterrible;

Spicaterrible is an abandoned train station, with moss, grasses, bushes and all other wild plants growing around the area along with the phosphoric light and colorful glow bugs floating—lighting the dark blue haired warrior's path.

She may not know the exact location of this blueberry train, but she tried to keep keen eyes and her ears sharp for any and every noise. Bravely searching through the darkness.

She moves quietly and as she caught a glimpse of a lantern light in the corner. Orange light shines through the abandoned train wagon from it's blurry glass window. A faint image of a girl seen through it— good thing that the blueberry bushes aren't covering the windows.

And now she knows where she is…

Though as she is about to approach her—something comes up in her mind.

_Never go empty handed!_

"Darn you Eli…"she muttered to herself.

She tried to look around.

Lucky her—there's an Anemone Heart—that special flower, growing next to the rustic dirty wall. She decided to pick it up fully, including the roots.

She walked closer to the gloomy girl who seemed really surprised as she looked into her Amber eyes.

"Umi-chan…..?" Kotori blinked a couple of times to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

Umi smiled gently,

"Good evening…" she greeted in her polite and gentle tone.

"But… how? I mean…why are you here?" Kotori asked.

"To meet you…"

Kotori blushed slightly,

"W-why? I mean… uh…how did you know I was here?"

"Hanayo told me about you…and Nozomi told me about where you should be at the gloomiest state…" Umi replied.

Kotori smiled faintly,

"Nozomi-chan worried about me too…huh?" Kotori replied.

"It will be a lie if I said that she doesn't, but it will also be a lie if I said she does…"

"So you basically don't know if she actually does or not?"

"Yep, but that's because I'm not her and she isn't me…"

Kotori sighed weakly.

Umi decided to hand over the flower that she had just picked up.

"I want you to know that there's a lot of people that care about you…" she said.

Kotori remained quiet for a while before she decided to accept it.

"Umi-chan…." she smiled at her softly.

"I don't know what exactly is bothering you, but if I assume things right, you're having problems with being honest to everyone and yourself…"

Kotori nodded slightly.

"I think so…" she replied.

"But I can't be myself… I don't think I can…" she continued.

Umi kept her mouth shut to listen.

"Have you ever felt like that no matter how hard we try, everyone judges you as being unpassionate about what you're doing?"

"Lack of skill, lack of discipline, or lack of knowledge, or ability to understand, I've got that a lot…" Umi replied.

"Especially with a senior like Eli… I hardly look passionate with what I'm doing, I feel like a crap.. and everyone always compares me with her when we work together…" she continued.

Kotori nodded,

"I'm glad to hear that you've experienced it. Nozomi-chan has written a lot of history and people knows her—either because she is bad or good, everyone will always remember her. It's nice to hear it when people say that we're better, but it hurts when people say that we're the worse… It's pretty normal, but it gets frustrating after a while…"

"For a few months, I tried to get over that— and I tried so hard to resist the pain when her students always say things like, Nozomi-sensei did this, Nozomi sensei did that, Nozomi-sensei can do this and that, then they always compare my teaching style with hers. They say I'm too boring and I'm trying too hard, then sometimes they even say that my work is too easy and not challenging, or too hard and ridiculous. It's so hard to please them…" she continued.

"You can't please everyone…" Umi said.

Kotori nodded,

"I know, and I know they're just trying to make excuses to be lazy, and I know not all of them speak up to help me improve… just want to hate and nothing else… but it still gets too frustrating for me… I began to realize that being a teacher is really not for me…"

"What do you mean by, 'is really not me'…?" Umi asked.

"I just don't fit the image I suppose? Or at least that's what everyone says about me…"

"I think you're a great teacher, you just have to work harder…"

"…. That's what everyone says too… but I know I don't belong there, just look at how much people dislike me for who I am..."

"Well, are you happy when you're doing it?"

Kotori tried to come up with an answer,

"….if you're happy, then you might belongs there…" Umi added.

"But… I'm always happy when I can do something—and I'm always happy when someone appreciates me, but then, at the same time, people are on hating me for what I've been doing…"

"As long as you feel like you're happy, then that's where you belong… and if you say you're happy with everything you do, no matter where you are, then you belong everywhere… you can choose your own way of living, why bother with what people say about you?"

"It just bothers me when people are unhappy for me… I know I shouldn't care… but, its just really hard and—I don't know…. I feel…. I feel like I can't do any good for anyone… not even for Honoka-chan, who I try my best to care about…"

"Then… maybe this is a time for you to start anew instead of trying so hard to fix the past… let's try to arrange something…" Umi replied.

"What is this something?"

"Join the police, you've got a name there, right?" Umi said.

"I…I can't…. I shouldn't leave the earth…"

"Why?"

"Because…if I leave my mother will—…"

And as Kotori mentioned her, she remember something that caught her attention long ago… the image of her mother having an eye contact with her, she remembered well that her mother looked like she was in a hurry, leaving her own daughter hanging without a single word. Then she also recalled that she was no longer getting mails from her ever since that day…

"Your mother will…?" Umi tried to ask for the rest of the sentence,

"….actually, never mind… I'm….I'm just wondering now who am I obeying the rule for… because, my mother doesn't seems to want to meet me again…." Kotori replied.

Umi raised her eyebrow,

"…I feel so stupid, I'm really wasting my life time with such rules and—…"

"Kotori, did you really mean that?" Umi asked in a stern and serious tone.

Kotori realized that she might've said something very wrong.

"W-which one?" Kotori asked.

"You said, you wonder who you're obeying the rules for…?"

"Yes?"

Umi sighed heavily as she heard it.

"And who were you obeying the rule for?"

"My Mother….and everyone else?"

Umi sighed again,

"E-eh? I-Is it wrong?"

"To be honest, yes…. You forgot one person that really needs it…"

"Is it me?"

"Yes…"

"Uh…why is it me?"

"Because you need it the most…"

"But… why am I obeying the rules for myself? I get no benefit from it…"

"That's not the point…"

"Ehh..?" Kotori flustered,

"You're not obeying the rule for anyone, it's for yourself… the rule isn't made to please anyone, it's to help you understand what the society wants… you said you have the rule that you believe and be loyal with all the time, right? Then don't take it in a way to please someone who made the rule, but take it as a way of that someone trying to explain the concept of society… It's still up to you to make it true or not… but also to remember that not everyone has the same concept of society like you—or your mother… so, if you want to be peaceful, you have to understand their concepts…and decide whether you want to stay around them or not."

"I see…. I guess I've been taking things the wrong way…" Kotori replied shyly.

Umi chuckled,

"Don't worry, I was like that too, until I realized that I'm unhappy… but thanks to Eli and Maki, they taught me a lot of things… and to be honest, Honoka and her friends blew my mind too, she always thinks positive of everyone and living positively for everyone—even though she can be serious at times, it's pretty scary to imagine that though…" she replied.

"Ah—right, Honoka-chan… I wonder how she has been doing lately?"

"I don't know… I didn't make any contact with her lately… been really busy with our own school. Nozomi is really troublesome, she just blew everyone's mind during cooking class by making the most unhealty food yet extremely delicious and like— I think she called it triple cheese burger with bacon warp. She added lettuce layers and mayonnaise too… but it still doesn't make much difference—it's very unhealthy. You should have seen the look on Eli's face when she saw her submitting that as her assignment…"

"Oh? Was she angry?"

"She isn't quite sure to be angry or not, she got a good grade, the only bad thing is that now her cooking has been added to the food court's menu. She got loyalties from it too, but then now everyone in Terra can eat that unhealthy food…"

"Uhm…So I guess she can't really get angry nor be happy….?"

"Yep, it's tormenting but she decided to let that go and move on…"

"….how's her diet?" Kotori asked,

"I'm not sure, but I believe Eli knows more than us. Thing that I realized was that her cheeks is slightly smaller, but she is still chubby anyway. Then her breast doesn't make any changes either… it's still big and jiggly without her armor on…"

"Uh…. armors? She is wearing them now?"

"She has to, because now she is a soldier like us… or at least, a soldier until she graduates along with Eli. Our armors not only function as a thing to protect us, it also to help us survive outside Terra. It has a temperature stabilizer which will automatically change temperatures according to the surrounding area. The police also wears these armors during their work hours, with different designs though…"

"Oh? How does her armor look like?

"It's metallic purple, then combined with the black tight rubber suit that functions as the second heat stabilizer. Eli made it, she said she likes to see Nozomi in purple… we can't comment much since Nozomi is her girlfriend anyway…"

"Mmhh… so,how's their relationship? Is it troublesome for you two to stay around them…?"

"Well, we know when they're in the mood for their needs, they're very careful when doing so. I think they really know how to find privacy in a place that doesn't quite provide any. Our job is to keep quiet and trail off the curious people… especially those creepers with voyeurism…"

"I see, so I guess you just don't stop them instead…"

"It's their private life, it doesn't bother us. They're on the good age too so why not have some fun?"

"Is it really fun to do that?" Kotori asked innocently.

Umi blushed slightly,

"W-w-well! I don't know! I've never done that! But in many literature, it's always described as something that makes you excited, something that makes you always wonder, it's experimental and its quality also decided from the way of treating each other during the intimacy. Some said that the longer it goes, the better it is, though some said it has to be in the perfect timing as well—considering some weren't able to finish until their exhaustion…"

"Uh…Umi-chan, you seem to know a lot though…." Kotori said.

"Ah! I-I swear I only know about them from reading literature!" Umi replied in panic.

"D-Don't worry Umi-chan, I'm not judging you!" Kotori replied as she flustered.

And the two went awkwardly silent,

"….but I still wonder what kind of literature you're reading to get that much knowledge, do they explain it in detail?" Kotori asked.

"C-C-Can we drop this conversation?!" Umi said as she tired to compose herself from her panicked state.

"S-Sorry? Is that too personal?"

"N-No! It's not that because it's personal! It's just—uh…. L-L-let's forget that!"

"O-Okay?" Kotori replied, confused by Umi's the reaction.

"S-Sheesh! W-what a topic…" Umi averted her eyes as the blush on her face started to turn into a brighter shade of red.

"Uh…but, Umi-chan, I'm sort of curious now when you're saying things like that… because… Anjuu-san also said similar things a while back. She said… it's a thrilling fun that you just can't forget— it's very addictive and even though it's true that it might be something naughty, it's just something that runs through every creatures, and no one can deny that it's not something fun to do…"

"K-Kotori! Can you really drop that topic already?"

"Uhhh— but….Umi-chan! Please! Tell me everything you know about it!"

"I-I just….I just can't ok? I'm not good with something like that!"

"Pleaseeeee!" Kotori begged.

"GhGhhh! T-T-this is not fair! Don't beg me like that!"

"Prettyyyy Pleaseeee!" Kotori continued begging and now with the cutest face she was ever able to make.

"K-Kotori…." Umi smirked in fear,

Kotori quickly grabbed Umi's hand leaned up close to her—showing her begging face.

"Umi-chan….Please….." she begged again.

"W-Why are you giving me that face! I-I'm not going to lose to that!"

And suddenly, someone shouted to them,

"Umi-chaaaaaan! Kotori-chaaaaan!" A familiar voice called out from the distance.

"E-Ehh? H-Honoka-chan?!" Kotori quickly stood up while Umi sighed in relief.

Honoka ran, approaching them with a lantern in her hand with Hanayo next to her.

"Hehe, sorry I'm late! I had to deal with a few things before leaving…" Honoka said.

"Yup…and sorry to not warning you earlier, Honoka-chan said she wanted to surprise you two…" Hanayo said.

"Well, you did surprise me!" Kotori said cheerfully.

"Yay! Uh… but, what are you doing here?" Honoka asked.

"Oh—well, you see, I'm just talking with Umi-chan right now…" Kotori replied.

"Then, about the poison? Didn't you bring all of them?" Hanayo asked.

"Oh? That? My client came to pick it up a while back before I came here, so no I don't bring any poison with me…"

"Ah! Then I was worried for nothing!" Hanayo sighed but still relieved that it wasn't anything serious.

"Sheesh! Kayo-chan! You worry to much!" Kotori softly giggled

"Hehe, sorry, let's go back to the village… Umi-chan also needs to return to Terra…" Hanayo said.

"Ah, yes, I should…" Umi said.

"Yup! And..Oh! Kotori-chan! Speaking of which! I wonder if you want to join the police?"

"Uuuhh! I don't know, Honoka-chan! I want to think about it!" she said as she started to walk along with Honoka and with a bundle of Anemone Heart in her hand.

"Hehe, well, you see, you get a free space ship that you can use to travel around the space, then…hmm.. you get to go on fun missions with us too!"

"That sounds really fun, but… I don't know! Give me some time, ok?" Kotori smiled at the ginger,

Then as the two kept chatting as they walked off to the distance, Hanayo initiated a conversation with the blue-haired warrior,

"Umi-chan…. I don't know what you did to her, but I think she is back to normal for now…so, thank you…"

"No, thank you… you're the one who told me about her…" Umi replied.

"Hehe, won't mean anything if it doesn't help… you were the biggest help…"

Umi picked up the lantern that was left behind, then handed it to Hanayo.

"Take care of yourself, ok?"

"Yup…." Hanayo nodded softly while giving her a sweet smile.

* * *

Terra, The Dorm room;

Nozomi returned to the room, upon entering , she saw Eli sitting on her own desk as she read something in her tablet.

"Ah, Nozomi… welcome back, how was it?" Eli greeted her,

"It was nothing special, just a random person coming by to say nonsense…" Nozomi replied.

"Oh—one of the prankster, huh?"

"Yup…pretty much…" she replied as she sat on her own bed—which was bought a while back and gladly the room was big enough for the four beds, with two of them sticking very close with each other, fit perfectly inside. She turned her sight to the deck of cards that she told Eli to shuffle, then quickly picking up the top of the card deck.

_Upward The Lovers._

She smiled softly,

"By the way, Nozomi, I just realized that you haven't bought a bike… you will need it for the next class…" Eli said.

"Oh? Then, will Ericchi take me shopping today?"

"Yes… but let's wait for Umi to return. I'm a little worried about Kotori and the poison…" Eli said.

"Sheesh, you shouldn't… don't act like Hanayo-chan all so sudden, Ericchi…" Nozomi huffed.

"But, it's a poison, right?"

"Yup, I don't think anything bad will happen… but, if there really was something that poisoned her, then maybe only the deadliest one can do the work…"

"That kind of sounds scary, you know…" Eli replied.

"You haven't asked me what the deadliest poison is though…" Nozomi replied as she quickly jumped off her bed and approached her lover.

"I know where this is going…" Eli chuckled,

"Just ask me and you shall receive my answer…" Nozomi said with a teasing smile.

"Alright, What's the deadliest poison?" Eli asked with a playful smile.

Nozomi chuckled before she leaned close and embraced her,

"It's called love…because darling, you killed me with yours and I've died a thousand times from it…" she whispered seductively.

Eli giggled,

"We should grab a parfait after shopping…"

"Parfait…. Really Ericchi? Grab a parfait? Why can't you use something better than that…!"

"You want me to use, what? licking the salty and sour strawberry?"

"What about, entering my heaven's hole…"

"Let's go with something more cyber-ish… Slotting the driver…"

"My… I can't wait to feel you injecting your hardware…"

"Hmm… I think my processor needs more internal fans… or you can just, you know, blow me…"

And the two burst out laughing together,

"I think we need to stop abusing our intelligence for this…" Eli said between her giggles.

"It's fun though, so let's not stop it… especially because I think I need more heat in my motherboard.."

"Shopping first, overclocking time later…"

"Yup! Don't forget to keep your power supply running, Ericchi!"

"As long as it's you, honey, I won't get tired from scrolling down until the last page..."

"Careful, you may cause an explosion..."

"I don't mind even if it's going to be right on my face..."

Then once again, the two burst into laughter.

* * *

**Yup, there~ I hope you enjoy it! See you later!**

**and once again, next chapter gonna take long x_x...sorry!**


	22. Seeking for a Way

**Ok. next chapter is here.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**Thanks to crimson for edits!**

**Also, like I said, this story will be long and take a while for me to make it since I'm super busy. Thanks for understanding!**

* * *

Terra—the Centaur Galaxy, the gathering hall;

"This is the time of the semester where your team work matters the most. There will be no massive battles here so don't expect anyone to help you, out of nowhere, because everyone have their own mission…" A strong-looking man said as the soldiers stood straight in their own lines.

"Remember! Our job is not to fight them but to defend against them and to sabotage their power. Everyone's death limit is 40, if your death beyond those numbers, then none of you will get bonuses and everyone will have to go through the training session for 3 months! So you all better protect your friends and stop fighting each other! Got it?" he continued.

"Yes-Sir!" everyone replied in unison.

"We're all brothers and sisters here, so if any of you have any personal problems against each other, I suggest you all to put it aside and try to keep yourself as professional as possible… Don't be an ass and don't be a retard. Discipline yourselves, follow the rules and be clever as you act! Understand?!"

"Yes Sir!" everyone chanted in a strict, soldier-like manner.

Umi, Maki, Eli and Nozomi stood next to each other in a row, wearing the same logo as everyone else around them on their badge slot which was placed on their shoulder piece. As the others focused on the commander, Nozomi heard a sobbing sound from the back row of the other lines next to her. She took a quick peek and saw a little boy stand in a line by himself—trying his best to not cry but to no avail.

No matter how much she wanted to help, Nozomi knows she has to focus on her own mission and hoping that the others will help him out somehow. Because there might be something that he doesn't want anyone to know—or perhaps it's the other way around.

They listened to the briefing intensely, finding out that their group was tasked to sabotage the spaceships, infiltrating deep into the base, assassinating their commander, and to set up the hidden bombs which would exploded at the same time to prevent them using the same ship in the next attack. They explained how the big strategy will work, so that the leader of each group will understand and be able to set up the smaller strategies.

As the briefing finished, Eli and the rest of the other team leaders gathered to arrange their smaller strategies. By then, Nozomi decided to ask questions about the small boy to Maki and Umi.

"Psssht…. Say….Do you two know anything about that little boy over there?" she asked while taking small glances towards where the boy was,

"Oh…? Him? Not sure, but maybe he lost his companions…" Maki replied.

"It will be hard to move on, but I believe he will be fine later…" Umi added.

"How does everyone here treat people like that?" Nozomi wondered out loud.

"Depend on himself, if he decides to move on and socialize with us, then he might survive, but if he decides to not to— then that means everything is over for him…" Maki said matter-of-factly.

"We can't pamper everyone, that's for sure. Here, you have to struggle on your own to reach a point. Even if you are living under someone's rule, you are still the one who decide your life.." Umi continued.

"For whatever sake though, I hope you don't give him too much attention. You have your own mission—and soon enough, Eli will explain our strategy. Don't mess up…" Maki crossed her arms and looked towards the blonde who was still strategizing with the other leaders.

"Yes… and we've worked hard to lie to the server about your appearance in our team…you also have to work hard to make yourself look like you're part of our team, ok?"

"There, you're saying it like your team is always flawless…" Nozomi said.

"We are…" Umi and Maki replied together.

Nozomi smirked,

"That's a lie, isn't it?"

Maki and Umi chuckled,

"Ok, that's a lie. Either way, just focus on your task… don't get distracted… it might be fatal…"

"Yeah…" Maki nodded in agreement with the blue haired soldier.

"Don't worry— Ericchi is my priority!" Nozomi said cheerfully.

After a moment, Eli returned to the team…

"Eli, how was it?" Umi asked in a polite manner.

"Well, apparently they have about 4 main ships in this invasion… or at least that's what the scout said. Then as usual, we'll be getting the most dangerous one… which means, we're going to assassinate the twin commander…" Eli explained,

"Twin Commander? Don't tell me, are they those Angra Twins?" Maki said.

"Yes, they're pretty tough so we need to be clever… I'm not very sure with the mapping yet, so we will have to get in there and choose our arena since I doubt we can kill them instantly—but we can cause a big enough damage to give us the advantage if we will ever have to duel them…"

"On the side note, the Angra Twins need to be killed in sync or within 4 minutes. They will always fight separately to prevent themselves from getting killed at the same time… my plan is to give them a face-to-face duel with unexpected snipers…"

"Looking at our team, I believe we will be able to pull it off … Which means, Maki and I will deal with them directly while Umi and Nozomi will do the unexpected shot… is that clear enough?"

"Yeah…" Maki nodded.

"Understood…" Umi said.

"Yup, just trust me, Ericchi, I'll do it flawlessly…" Nozomi huffed in determination.

"Harasho…" Eli smiled.

* * *

The Earth's Space Police station;

"W-waaaaaah! Kotori-chan! Take a look at this!" Anjuu said excitedly as she pointed to her laptop. There were many tabs open with fashion websites browsed in each slot, stylish police uniforms were displayed neatly in rows and columns, with its detail exposed along with their descriptions under each pictures. And there stood out a cool ivory shirt along with short black skirt,

"W-whaa! T-Th-That's my design!" Kotori said in surprise.

"I know! The universe choose it as the newest police uniform, we'll be wearing that soon!"

"Ahh! I'm so happy!" Kotori chirped cheerfully.

"Oh-oh! but look at this too! I found a few boutique that might suit your taste!" Anjuu said.

"Really?!"

And the two start screaming over fashion sites.

Erena massaged her own forehead,

"I can't believe this is happening…and just in a few days too…"

"Ha-ha-ha, is it because Anjuu doesn't bother you anymore?" Tsubasa asked teasingly.

"No! Why would I want her to bother me?!"

"Hahaha! Don't worry, Erena, I know how you feel. It does feel really lonely without anyone bothering us!"

"I'm not even—…!"

"Ssssshh! Erena, I know, I understand. Your feeling to Anjuu is the same feeling with me and Honoka…."

"What are you even trying to imply, Tsubasa?! I don't understand you!"

"Tsk-tsk, this is why I'm the leader and you're the second banana, no, maybe third banana… I understand your feeling while you can't even understand what I'm saying…"

"What?!"

"Anyhow, let's talk about something you can understand now…"

"Don't just change the topic!"

"Sssh…I'm trying to make you understand now…"

"Tsubasa!"

The said girl started to burst out laughing while Erena rolled her eyes as she waited her to calm down.

"So, how is the current progress on the goods we got?" she asked, wiping away the tears of joy from the corner of her eyes.

"Well, they managed to figure out about how to rebuilt it, but they have no idea what it is, but they said, it looks like a projector… or so…"

"Projector?" Tsubasa raised her eyebrow.

"According to the valkyries though, it might be related to the white board that the Nishikino family owns—but they are still not quite sure about it because it seems that there is nothing that can put them together…and the Nishikino family refuses to give it to anyone because it's a family memento and we're all just based on a 'maybe' instead of something that we're very sure of…"

"I see, that's very interesting indeed…"

"You should figure out how to make them give it to us, because we can't possibly get it without their permission or it will be called as thievery…."

"Well, we can always give the goods to them instead and ask their permission to investigate it…" Tsubasa said.

"That's a good idea but what if they don't want to do it?"

"Tsk-tsk, this is why I'm leader and you're sitting there to do the dirty work. You have to stay positive, Erena…. Listen to Honoka giving spirit to all of us… Fight on! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"H-Huh?! I-I don't understand!"

"Hahaha… Not gonna say it again—but anyhow, good work, Erena, I'll make sure you get extra this month…"

"Thanks…." Erena smirked as she watched Tsubasa walk away from her to approach Kotori and Anjuu.

Not before long, Niko, Honoka, and Rin ran in to the office, surprising the others.

"W-whw-whaaa! T-Th-this is bad-nyaaa!" Rin said in panic as she barged in with Niko next to her.

"What's wrong?" Erena asked.

"T-The…T-The Citadel!" Niko said in panic too.

"W-what's with the Citadel?!" Tsubasa's face started to get pale as she said it.

* * *

The Valhalla;

"Eir!" Shouted an elder woman around the hall.

"Eir!" she shouted again before she keep moving on and met up with Valkyrie Minami who sat down next to a window, looking at the view of the space quietly as she held a piece of paper.

"Valkyrie Minami, have you seen Eir?" she asked.

"Ah, commander Lenora… sorry I haven't see her all day…." Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Sheesh! She must've gone somewhere…."

Lenora remain quiet for a moment as she looked at the tablet on Valkyrie's Minami hand.

"What are you reading right now?" she asked,

"Oh? This? This is a letter from Tsubasa, the space police leader…"

Lenora squinted her eyes at the woman in front,

"What kind of need do you have with her?"

"Just trying to do my best to be a mother…so I asked her a favor to keep me updated with her condition."

Lenora remained quiet again for a moment,

"….. do you still keep feelings for your daughter?"

"Of course, after all, I'm her mother…. even though I have to be stuck here with my duty, I still want to keep my eyes on her…."

"So how is she then?"

"She is moving on… quitting her job in school to join the Police as a Medic and Alchemy specialist—investigator division. She'll be a great support to them… and most likely will play a big role in µ's… their special investigator ship…"

"That's good…. I hope Eir would actually do something as decent…"

Valkyrie Minami smiled slightly,

"I believe she has been doing what she likes as a hobby…"

"Her hobby is stalking people and going all around…nothing else, noting productive… then maybe to add to the list, bullying her juniors or trying so hard to look wise…or at least smart…" Lenora said as she pouts,

"Commander Lenora, If I'm you, I wouldn't think that bad about my own child…"

"It's not thinking bad, it's the truth. She never made a good use of the skill and intelligence that I gave her… from ever since she was little—that is who she is…"

"I'm sorry, but, did you really just say : The Skill and Intelligence you gave her?" Valkyrie Minami asked,

"Yes. I've worked hard to educate her and raise her to become a powerful and intelligent child, but she never wants to use it properly. She has no respect for me…"

Valkyrie Minami smiled faintly,

"Have you tried to teach her how to respect?"

"Oh—yes, I have… I've got a private teacher that specialize in manner education, she has learned all the basics, including paying a respect to the elder one, she was a really good child back then, I'm not sure why she suddenly lost all that…but it must be because of that Vivian! I knew I shouldn't have let her date a girl like her…" Lenora said again.

Valkyrie Minami remain quiet with the faint smile still plastered on her face.

"—that Vivian also took a lot of things from the others, including that Ayase Eli, the poor girl. Her family escaped from Terra ever since they found out that Eli lost her arm—leaving no trace but a letter that says 'Don't look for us'…. What a terrible misfortune… this is why I really want to adopt her as my daughter… no one wants to look after her but us…."

"I heard she already has a girlfriend though…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"A girlfriend? My! I wonder what kind of girl she is—wait…don't tell me, is she that Toujou Nozomi, the professional mind mage that predicted the pirates attack? Also the one who climbed up the pillar with bare hands?"

"Yes…"

"Oh! No wonder! She is really adorable! I like her too!" Lenora clasped her hands together in excitement.

Valkyrie Minami only chuckled at the elder woman's slightly childish behavior

"…I wonder if she wants to be a Valkyrie as well— I believe if Eli and her join us, the galaxy will absolutely be a safe place to live!" she continued,

"….but, do you think Eli will join us? Or actually, how do you think I should treat her when she join?"

"Just be how a mother should be I guess?" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Oh! Right! Well, Eli has been a very independent and reliable child, I'll praise her a lot. Then… maybe I should make Eir understand that she should act like Eli, even though Eli is younger than Eir… but she is still better than her."

Valkyrie Minami could only keep quiet as she kept staring at the cute elderly woman's sparkling eyes.

"Then perhaps also encourage Eir to find a boyfriend or a girlfriend that is as good or at least as adorable as Nozomi? There should be plenty on the lot, right?"

"I'm sure there should be…" Valkyrie Minami replied—with a smile that somewhat looked fake as she saw how dreamy Lenora's eyes were,

"Hmmm! I can't wait for the day to come.. Being a mother is a great thing!" she said.

"Yes, it is…." Valkyrie Minami replied along with a soft chuckle.

"Oh! Speaking of which! I should go prepare the kids for the first sail, then I'll chat with you again, Valkyrie Minami! See you later, hun!" she said before she cheerfully skipped away to her said task.

Valkyrie Minami sighed,

"If you weren't giving me that face, I'd probably tell you that you are not doing a good job as a mother…" she whispered to herself as she watched how happy the elder woman's face looked.

* * *

The Centaur Galaxy— DAT Planet;

The soldiers were up lining in an orderly fashion as they arrived in the specified planet along with the local armies who seemed to be as twice as strong, compared to Terra's students. Their vehicles were also neatly parked on the side of the gathering field,

"Greetings, students, I hope this isn't your first time to enter a real battlefield…" A masculine looking creature with DAT's specialized armor said.  
The armor was made up of shiny black metal, decorated with blue orb and silver lining. His face covered with the helmet which has a horse-like shapes with a pair of horns.

"First of all, we would like to thank the Valkyrie for informing us about this attack, our scouts confirmed it a few days after the information arrived in our base. Then second, we also would like to thank Terra for being such a great companion in every battle. As what was told in the briefing, we would be glad if all of you can work together as a family to press the amount of death rates—and if possible, we would like to see everyone survive until the last second of the defense…." He started his lecture,

As the soldiers paid attention to the man on the stage, Nozomi's eyes kept focusing on the boy who caught her attention. Because this time, the boy was standing right in front of her—standing in one of the lines where their team was to cause distraction, a line that was placed only a few meters away from the infiltration line. She can see his eyes reddened from the crying that he has been trying so hard to hold.

"Pssht…Ericchi…" Nozomi whispered.

"Save the chat later, Nozomi, pay attention…" Eli whispered back with her eyes still focusing to the front.

"Hnn…Ericchi so cold… hmm…Umi-chan!" Nozomi tried to whisper to the girl next to her.

Though Umi remain quiet and keep her eyes to the man on stage.

"Mmm… how cold..… Maki-chan!"

"Shut up…" Maki replied.

Nozomi pouts at them,

"Fine…I was just about to say that there's a cute woman with big boobs on your right…" Nozomi said–and from that very moment, the trio turn their head to the right at the same time.

"Yes, that's me you're looking at…." Nozomi said with a slight chuckle,

"Darn it…" the trio said as they quickly turned their sight back to the stage,

"What's wrong with listening to me for a while… I just want to say something…" Nozomi said,

The trio sighed,

"Someone need to do that… while the rest pay attention." Maki said.

"Eli…take care of her, will you? We need to get information…" Umi said.

"I know…." Eli replied.

"Yup, you better be, Ericchi, I just wanted to know about the boy that's standing right front of us… he has been crying from this morning…" Nozomi said.

Eli remain quiet as she turned her sight to the boy.

"I wouldn't know about him… he is like, no one?"

"I know you wouldn't, that's why I want to know about him, you should do something, Ericchi!"

"Huh? Why would I do something about him. We have a mission to focus on… he is not that important right now… unless helping him means that I'll help the entire world…"

"What are you saying, he is still young… we need to see about what he needs and help him out…"

Eli sighed heavily.

"Let's do that later, ok?" she said as she spanked Nozomi on the butt.

"What's with that naughty spank!" Nozomi puffed her cheek.

Eli didn't respond as her focus returned to the lecture given by the man on the stage. Being ignored, Nozomi decided to attempt spanking her back, but as her hands were about to reach her butt—Eli caught it.

Eli smiled mischievously as she leaned in a little closer to the purple haired girl…

"Be quiet, ok? Unless you want me to punish you after the mission…."

Hearing that, Nozomi quickly set back to her position, Eli chuckled before she returned to her position as well.

* * *

The Earth—Capital City Of Mages;

"Sir! Please understand, it's not that we wanted to invade or anything—we're not pirates! We're police!" Tsubasa argued.

"That's what every thieves say. We're police, we're this, we're that. But no… The Earth will never have any agreement with the outsider. Cyber ruins the earth—and even if you're born from earth, we do not trust you…" the old man replied.

"….But this is about the safety of this earth as well! A Dangerous Object is moving here… we might not know where it will be exactly, but either way—that object shouldn't touch this planet… You love this planet, right?"

"Oh-Come on! You call yourself a mage, but you do not believe in the power of magic. Your mindset has been corrupted by those Cyber Punks. Did no one tell you to never touch their technologies?!"

"This is not about that anymore… and it's not that I don't believe in magic… I believe them, but I just don't think it's that simple, especially since that object is a highly cursed object that may infect the earth…"

"Then why don't you just smash that stupid, failed version of the earth? That thing is big enough to crush a city, so why not?"

"There are people there–they're living there! They are not a bunch of worthless souls!"

"To begin with, that thing was made to save the living, right? Then to prevent the earth from withering… so this is their time to prove their worth… sacrifice them to save our souls!"

"Sir! Come on! You're human, right? You know that they're human too, right?"

"Yes, I know! You don't need to lecture an old man like me… this earth is full of children who needs a future—while that place, is just full of desperate people who pretend that they are the future… they depend on their technologies, while we depend on our own power. This Earth is also where humanity was born while that place is just where humanity ran to in despair… just crush them with your magic… no one is going to lose anything…"

Tsubasa tried to compose herself as she heard the old man spoke. She wanted to do nothing more than to knock some sense into him, unfortunately to her liking, the short haired police walked back and forth for a while in frustration and finally decided to go back to face the old man who doesn't seem to look very amused.

"Fine, we will try to convince them to do that—but give them a place to live… you're the leader of the world… right? I know you can do that…"

"Sure, they can always live in the woods or something like that. The Dark Forest maybe? Or maybe the White Lily? See if they can survive there and build their own city or something…."

"No, I want a City! A real city! There are about fifty thousand inhabitants in Terra… so give them what they deserve! Especially because you are making them sacrifice their home to save yours!"

"We don't give a damn about that object. You are the only one who gives a damn. This Earth has plenty of cursed places, so adding one more wouldn't change anything. We can do, what? Seal them or something? Just look at our work with the City under the Pure Love Lens lake. We sealed it tight and assigned a professional mind mage to guard it. Ask around and they will tell you how no one can enter that place… and you know what that means? We just need one person to finish your big problem."

Tsubasa sighed heavily,

"Fine! Then please tell me who is this professional mind mages you're assigning… I'll see if she is more capable than a rotten old man like you…" Tsubasa said bitterly.

"Good! I don't want to make my precious brain work for a brat like you anyway. Her name is Toujou Nozomi, she should be living in the small village along with an Alchemist and a Farmer…"

"Toujou Nozomi….?" Tsubasa raised her eyebrow.

"She is a very skilled mind mage… and perhaps the only one who knows how to use the Spiritual Injector Glove… on the side note, she hates your people too. So whatever she does to you is none of my business… she is allowed to kill cyber-dumbheads like you as many as she wants.."

"Alright, bring it on…."

Tsubasa said before she left the room quickly along with Erena and Anjuu who have been quiet the whole time as they stood behind her.

* * *

The Centaur Galaxy—DAT Planet;

The Front Line Armies were dispatched, they are mostly the professionals from the locals and a few from Terra. Meanwhile, the students followed in to the battlefield as they snuck through the dense soldiers in defense. The Pirates moored their ships and dispatched their soldiers as well.

The Pirates were definitely strong—but most were only fighting with brute force, just like how it was predicted, though what they didn't expect was that they also have assassins lurking in the shadows of the brute forces—managing to kill many in the front lines but fortunately were able to be countered by the surprise snipers in the back.

Maki, Umi, Eli and Nozomi dashed through the crowds on their bike with Umi as the lead, they called it the sniper formation. The Quad dashed as fast as they could while pointing their bike's gun towards the enemy, shooting at a specific target at a perfect pace.

"How is it?!" Umi asked as she kept pedaling on her bike.

"This is just the beginning; we still have a lot more to go!" Eli said.

"Yeah, don't forget to get to Stealth formation at 4…" Maki reminded.

"Right… getting ready for the change…" Umi announced.

After a few more minutes— Maki took the lead and they started to change their formation. The pirates tried to attack them, though within seconds, they all disappeared into thin air at the same time. Leaving the pirates to wonder where they could be—it didn't take long until they reappeared in a different formation. Eli took the lead while the rest took out their melee weapons. Attacking them without a hint of hesitation and killing them mercilessly.

A powerful swing from Eli's Sword-Axe could take down five people at once; she was really quick and unexpected. Umi's swift moves were able to take down four at each time as she dashed out from between them. Maki's claws were able to take down around three at each time as her stealth and quickness came into play. Nozomi, not being used to killing on a bike, couldn't do as well as the trio, but she was still able to take down around one or two of the pirates with her katar.

Circling around the area for a moment to make some kills, the four quietly went back into their stealth mode—but now, they were all going to different places. It was time for them to do their real mission. They zipped through another wave of pirates, completely ignoring their presence, taking the chance to enter the main ship as no mortal eyes were able to spot them since most were too busy focusing on replacing the frontlines which had been eliminated by them earlier.

As they got in, Maki—who always took the lead during their stealth formation tried to pay attention to the details of the room. They stayed quiet as they looked for the place where their target resided while also placing the invicible time bombs that each of them carried along with them. Firstly it was Umi who placed the bomb near the front gate. Next, Maki placed the bomb at the furthest corner of the ship near a pillar, then Eli positioned her bomb inside the weapon's storage room—and lastly….

"….Where I should put this? Why did no one tell me about this?" Nozomi asked,

"Anywhere…as long you think it's a good place to place it and not too close with the others…" Maki replied.

"Then, can I place it in the control room?" she asked.

"That's where we are going…" Umi said.

"Just don't forget to place it…" Eli added.

"…by the way, we should hurry, we only have about 30 minutes to get this over with…" Maki said while looking at the time from a holographic projection coming out of her armor.

"…minus 5 minutes to make sure we left the place completely…" Eli added.

"We'll be there soon, prepare your bomb…" Umi said.

Nozomi nodded as she pulled out the box while keeping her eyes on the road in front of her. It was all pretty quick on their bike so she couldn't really see a lot of things. She wondered how the trio can document the details inside their heads when moving so quickly, but either way, she managed to place the bomb in the control room and get through the wall along with everyone else.

"W-whoa, I thought I was going to crash…" Nozomi said slightly startled but also relieved for being able to get through.

Eli chuckled,

"That's why Maki is the lead, she can take you through walls—or at least, as long as you're behind us and connected…"

"Hmmm…Maki-chan is so cool…" Nozomi complimented with a slight teasing smile.

"J-Just don't trip, ok? You'll screw everyone up…" Maki stuttered, fleeling slightly embarrased by the compliment.

They continued to padel through the ship until they finally reach a hall, it was a hall where a few of the strong pirates resided to work on some heavy task. Upon arriving the quad saw them preparing a big canon that looked like it was about to be used soon.

"Ah—we need to sabotage that…" Umi talked in low voice.

"Don't worry about that, let's focus on our mission first…we should be able to do it real quick." Eli said.

"I can do the work real quick…" Nozomi said.

"Don't be too obvious…"

"Of course…"

"Where I should be going?" Maki asked,

"Just go through that canon, can you do that?"

"Huh, well, of course, just stick close and don't get stuck inside…"

The red haired assassin readied herself before they rushed through the canon. Taking this chance, Nozomi quickly used her magic to switch the positions of a few orbs that were set inside the canon. Then hurried out of the hall by passing through the walls.

"That's it?" Maki asked.

"Yep, you'll be surprised how it turns out…. trust me, I've done that too…"

"Sabotaging?" Umi asked.

"No, it was something else, but you should wait and see…"

"I got a feeling its something stupid..." Eli said.

"Yup, but I won't spoil anything, not even for you, Ericchi…"

"Alright…"

"Anyway, I think I found our target…" Maki said.

"Where…?" Umi asked.

"The Head Room… now we need to find a place to snipe and the arena…" Maki continued.

"Why don't we just blow up the head room?" Nozomi asked.

"No, we need to make sure they're dead… because if they happen to survive, they will be a big trouble in the later battle…" Eli said.

"If you say so…" Nozomi replied as they skipped The Head Room to start looking for a place to deal with their target.

* * *

Space Police station—µ's ship;

Tsubasa, Erena, Anjuu, Honoka, Rin, Niko and Kotori sat around the main deck. Erena was busy searching through the stack of blueprints as Anjuu looked through her tablet and some books for information. Kotori stayed in her place as she managed the documents in her tablet.

"Hmmm… do you think they will be convinced…?" Tsubasa asked.

"I highly doubt that…" Erena said.

"Yeah, I don't think they are actually willing to destroy their home just to save the Earth…" Honoka said.

"This is so troublesome-nya…. Why don't they just work together to prevent it from happening-nya…?" Rin questioned dishearteningly, not liking how the situation looked.

"That's what we wanted too… I contacted the Valkyrie, they said they already know about it from their oracle… they've prepared for the battle too… but they won't have enough power if the two keep refusing to work together. We might also need some help from another planet as well… knowing that there will be some sort of pirate attack around the day it gets very close to earth…" Anjuu said,

"Oh, speaking of Valkyries, Kayo-chan called me last night… she said a Valkyrie paid a visit to her Inn. And according to her, Kayo-chan said that the woman had a pair of shiny wings and sparkling hair. She almost looked like an angel... how come Eir doesn't look like her?" Kotori asked.

"Ah! Then she must be very lucky, there are two kinds of valkyries, you know…" Tsubasa said.

"Two kinds?"

"Yup, two kinds. One are the Elite Valkyrie and second are the appertince. They who joined the Valhala soldiers will usually start out as the Einhenjar—the living one, then once they're acknowledged enough, the female will join the Valkyrie division while the male will join the Aesir division. Once they reach first class, they take a test of some sort that would help to determine their fate. If they manage to pass it, they will be allowed to become an Elite Valkyrie or Elite Aesir…" Tsubasa replied.

"So… Eir is just an appertince?"

"Pretty much, but hey, she is in the first class, I believe she will pass her test soon..." Tsubasa said.

"Hmm..but, what's the difference?"

"Well, joining a Valkyrie means that you'll dedicate your life for the endless battle. Which means that you will also have to leave everything behind, including your emotions and that's one of the test, they want to know if you are ok with leaving everything behind. Once you left it behind, you will be moved to a new place where all of your emotions will be gone for good … and you know what happens when a person doesn't have any emotions…"

Kotori raised her eyebrows in question,

"Why would they do that?"

"Because they have to in order to be effective. The Elite Valkyries don't actually have a body to live, they're all living in a materialized soul that only appears during an important time. I don't really understand that mystery since I've never actually seen an Elite Valkyrie with my own eyes… but I heard, they know no age or worldly needs, just like how every souls are…" Tsubasa explained again.

"That…. that sounds like they're dead…" Kotori said.

"They are… but at least they are all effective soldiers that protects everyone from all kinds of evil… "

"Weird, why would anyone want to be trained to die-nya?"

"Isn't it clear? Because they're selfless… they joined Valkyries because they want to live to protect—and they don't care about their own feelings." Erena finally decided to speak up.

"Hmm… Then next question, why is Erena is not a valkyrie yet?" Anjuu asked teasingly.

"A-Anjuu!" Erena frowned.

Anju chuckled.

"You know, without any of you realizing, we have here a person with a Valkyrie's heart…"

"No, it's not! Don't say that…. I have a soldier's heart…. I put feelings into my work, thank you..." Erena crossed her arms.

"What's the difference, Valkyries are soldiers…"

"They are more like a weapon than a soldier… they just do what they're told to— while soldiers, obey to command but they still have a feeling where they could consider their actions… they could rebel anytime if it doesn't fit with what they think is right…" Erena replied.

"Hmmm…. Is it really like that?" Kotori asked,

"Yes, that's how it is…" Erena said.

Kotori remembered that there is a specific someone that she believes to be part of the Valkyries,

"Then…what do you think about someone who decides to become a Valkyrie? I mean…is it possible for someone to want to become one because that specific someone hates life?"

Erena noticed a change in Kotori's eyes… even though she doesn't know what might be comin up to her mind, she knew that she had to be very careful on giving the answer. She turned her gaze towards Anjuu, giving her a sign to help answer the question correctly.

The amber haired girl nodded in understandment to Erena's silent plea, "That's possible, but that someone will never become an Elite Valkyrie, because to become one, you need to know what you are fighting for—or at least, what you are trying to protect. Even though Valkyries are just weapons at the end, they still need a reason to exist…"

"Oh…I see…." Kotori replied with a faint smile.

"But to begin with, they might've never been accepted to the Valkyries if the first reason they joined is because they hate living—because being a Valkyrie is not an escape… and they have a professional mind reader working in that division. It's very scary how they basically can guess everything about you without a single miss…" Erena said.

"But it would be a lie if I said all of them have an honorable reason, some are just desperately trying to live…" Tsubasa added.

"T-Tsubasa!" Erena and Anjuu panicked.

"What? It's true, some really just want to stay alive. Their reason might be different from other, but I know someone who joined because she wanted to stay alive for the sake of a special someone—and to protect them from a distance at the same time…" Tsubasa replied.

Kotori smiled softly,

"That's a very good reason though…"

"Yup, you got to believe that… because you wouldn't know what that someone has been trying to deal with… there are plenty of things to list out… but hey, seriously, I wonder what God have in His mind, after humanity finally finds a way to cure cancer completely, He gives another disease that can only be defended against, not cured… its like He is pranking us." Tsubasa said.

"Someone has been reading too much into history and Bible…" Erena said.

"Didn't we agree you have to stay away from any kind of Bible, Tsubasa?" Anjuu asked with a teasing smile,

"W-what? Why? I thought they're interesting!" Tsubasa said.

"But you couldn't even grasp the real idea of it, so just stay away and let us do the understanding, ok?" Erena said.

"I don't even—!"

"Ssshh… Tsubasa, there are too many kids here…" Anjuu said.

"But—!"

"Anyway, we should check the mail again… see if Terra's leader accepts it…" Erena said.

"Ok!" Kotori replied as she quickly pulled up the mail application to check. Niko, Rin, and Honoka, who have been sitting quiet and confused, swiftly moved closer to Kotori to see her maneuver through the mailbox,

"Ah! They replied -nya!"

"Open it!" Honoka said.

"Yeah!" Niko said.

And as they open it…

"Hmm… well….they said….uh…hmmmm…." Kotori's face didn't look too happy.

Niko, Rin, and Honoka also doesn't seem to be happy either. Seeing them, Erena, Anjuu and Tsubasa curiously approached them…

Then they all sighed heavily…

"That was expected…" Tsubasa said sadly.

* * *

The First Sail— The Sever Stars of The Black Sea main ship—upper deck;

Maki and Eli faced the infamous twins—which they appeared to be a double conjoined twins with horrible monster-like faces,and a huge muscular body with dark brown metal armors. They both have a pair of heads, three pairs of hands and powerful looking legs which were now wounded terribly. This time, the two were in the same spot while the soldier duo surrounded them on their bikes—it was clear enough as to which side was actually winning,

"Ye' both're chickens! T'ru Warriors don't ride a bike in battle!" one of the twin said.

"Sorry, but we both are not stupid enough to face creatures like you without it.…" Maki sighed.

"Hah—Ye'r friends there is a cyborg hag, that metal arm is enuff to hit the crap out of us…" said another twin with a horrible dent on his face, which happened to be bleeding greatly as he spoke.

"..that won't kill you, just look at how your big mouth is still able to speak even after you took five shots of high grade poisons on your knees…" Eli said.

"It weakened us, missy, just look at how we can't even move right now…" said one of the twins.

"..and by the time we get closer, you both will, what? Move like nothing happened before? We know you have better immunity to it… your name is infamous enough for everyone to do a thorough research…" Maki said.

And the twins looked at each other before they slammed the ground with the palms of their hands, making the metal part of the ship suddenly raised up like it was earth magic that trailed up to where Eli and Maki were, luckily, they both are swift enough to dodge it.

As they managed to dodge, their eyes reverted back to where the twins were—and found them instantly gone from the spot.

"See, this is why we don't trust you when you're playing weak…" Eli said loudly—and just right after she said it, one of the twins appeared right in front of her and pulling up his fist. Eli quickly rammed against him with her bike's front guard.

At the same time, Maki felt someone trying to attack her from above—and just right before a big sword fell on her, Maki quickly moved out of the way and aimed the gun on her claws to the other twin, shooting him right after, even thought the bullets hit, it didn't seem like it had any effect.

"Hmmph, this is why no one trusts pirates…" Maki huffed.

"No one told ye' to trust pirates!" and he attempted an attack on Maki which was dodged completely as Maki also attempted a counter—which was either parried or dodged in return,

Meanwhile, Eli stood face-to-face fight with the other twin. The two used their huge weapons to fight, slashing and parrying each other in a quick motion— Eli swore that he is one tough enemy, but she knows that he isn't the toughest, especially because he depends only on his physical attacks that she excels at.

Though something has been bothering her for a while now— What happened to the two people that were supposed to make their move?

Somewher ein the pirate ship;

Umi and Nozomi rushed through the ships with their bikes which seems to be too big for many places—they were having problems with getting through things without Maki's skill. Nozomi carried a boy on her arm—the same one with the one that took her attention.

"Thanks for ruining our plan, little boy… now we have to deal with a massive pirate attacks…." Nozomi said.

"We only have 15 minutes left too…" Umi said.

"No one told you to take me! Why would you even do that!" The boy retorted as he tried his best to be released.

"You're clearly being that idiot everyone always knows of… and being saved by others just like how classic stories always tell. Then let me guess your motive here— you wanted to take revenge for your whatever dead person that was close to you…" Nozomi said mockingly.

"How did you know?!"

"Trust me, I've read a thousand stories like that. You're not special … and you know what that means? You're not the main character of this mission. Just a kid who ruined other's mission… and you know how your story usually ends?" Nozomi frowned at him,

The boy looked bothered by the way the older woman was talking to him.

"Nozomi, don't say it, he is still young…" Umi said.

Nozomi smiled mishievously.

"You'll die in the enemy's hand as the true hero watches your death…" she continued before she pedaled faster.

"Wait! N-Nozomi!" Umi panicked,

"Take care of them, Umi-chan, I'll sacrifice this boy…"

"W-wha? Nozomi!" Though as Umi tried to catch up, the pirates were gaining on her and knowing that she had no other choice, Umi turned around towards them and switched her bow into a sword.

"Geez! How troublesome!" and Umi dashed back to the pirates.

Back into the upper deck;

As Eli was still fighting off the twin–she kept batting her eyes for a few second to the window where she expected her other two friends to appear from. But they were no where to be found.

_Sheesh! Umi! Nozomi! Where are you two?!_

She thought as she kept fighting along with Maki who seemed to be very focused in her own battle with the other twin.

The time kept ticking, Eli checked her watch to see the time..

_Ten minutes left and we're still here… doubt we can clean up this place completely if this keeps up. We need to kill them soon._

She said in her mind.

Though as she is about to make a quick plan—Nozomi came up to the deck unexpectedly.

"Ericchi! Maki-chan!" she shouted as she hit her bike's boy still on her arm.

Eli and Maki glanced at her, even the twins stopped to see her.

"Sorry we can't snipe… so let's go with plan B…." Nozomi said.

"W-what?" Eli frowned.

"So that's ye'r plan! Dirty bish!" and the twin who fought Eli swung his sword at her which was parried with her sword axe.

"I'm warning you, one more attack and I'll sacrifice this boy to beat you up…" Nozomi raised the boy up with her hands.

"U-Urgh! L-let me go!" The boy struggled.

"W-what are you talking about?! Nozomi! Who you're siding with?!" Eli yelled.

"What are YOU talking about? Of course I'm siding with you, Ericchi!"

"Nozomi, are you drunk?" Maki asked.

"I'm sober as you, Maki-chan…and I'm very serious when I said I'll sacrifice this boy…"

"We're not gonna give a pity about the young boy!" one of the twin started to throw a barrage of attacks at Eli who tried to parry them all.

"The pity is on you…" Nozomi smiled mischievously as she threw the boy to the ground.

"Nozomi!" Eli protested, but the purple haired woman was completely calm as she spawned a magic circle around the boy.

"M-magic?!" The twin who fought Maki said in his surprise.

"Run brother! Run!" the twin, who fought the blonde, shouted as he attempted to run—but Eli caught him in the act and threw him back to the ground closer to the magic circle. The same happened to the other twin as he tried to escape, Maki clawed his legs, using her strongest poison to stun him.

The emerald on Nozomi's weapon started glow bright as Nozomi chanted her spell. The boy having no idea about what's happening, thought she knows something is wrong with him as he couldn't speak nor moving from his place.

"Nozomi! What are you doing?!" Eli shouted,

The mage didn't respond, but instead she strengthen her spell and—

"Spirit of Vengeance! Heed my call!" she shouted.

And the boy quickly transformed into a huge and dark living armor with a giant axe on his back.

Eli, Maki, and The twin raised their sight up to the giant's head.

"What the hell….." Maki mumbled.

Right after he completely transformed, the living armor grabbed both of the twins with his giant hands and crushed them in one clap, like mosquitos. As they fell—the giant took his axe and raise it up to the sky. Maki and Eli were left speechless as they watched how tall the axe was—and how fast it fell down to end the life of both the twins at the same time, by cutting their bodies in half even though they were probably dead, after they were crushed between the hands.

The giant began to let out smoke as it slowly turned back to the boy—who ended up being unconscious. The two soldiers were still speechless until Nozomi let out a soft chuckle,

"That's what I expected… but you're not done yet, little boy…" she said between her mischievous chuckles.

"W-what did you…just…" Eli smirked,

"I…I don't know what to say…." Maki said.

Nozomi smiled proudly as she picked up the boy again.

"Let's speak about the details later, we should go help Umi-chan…"

Eli and Maki looked at each other confusedly as Nozomi left the place along with the boy in her arms.

* * *

The Earth, Koizumi's Inn;

A silver short haired woman with shining wings and armor sat in the lobby as she read the newspaper that was served on the table. Hanayo walked in carrying a tray, that held tea and some other snacks.

"Good Afternoon… it's been a while for us to not meet each other…" she greeted politely as she placed the tray on the table.

"Ah, Koizumi…. Thank you, but I think you forgot that I don't drink…" the woman said.

"Oh, but, this is just a cup of tea, Leyna-san…"

"No… I really just don't drink or eat. I am a materialized soul… remember?"

"R-Right! Sorry!" Hanayo replied shyly.

The woman smiled faintly before she grabbed one of the tea cups on the tray and drank it. Hanayo flustered for a moment there—and she thought she would see the water pouring down through the body, just like how every souls do, but it isn't…

"I just said we don't… but we can… so—I want to appreciate your kindness…" Leyna said.

"Ah….." Hanayo raised her eyebrow,

"Tell you what, Koizumi, I remember that I was really happy whenever I drank a cup of warm tea, the same one that you served."

"How about now?" Hanayo asked.

"I feel nothing… we can't feel any emotion— but we can remember them…"

"That's painful…"

"No, it's not. Because like I said, we can't feel any emotion… but the way we can't feel it is very necessary… because if we could feel them, we may not be able to see through the battlefield and not be able to judge with justice as well. We will be blinded by our love of a certain part and we might have been clashing with each other as well since we all have our differences…"

Hanayo tilt her head,

"I'm confused… why do you all have to be emotionless though? I mean, you can always judge someone with justice as long as you're trained enough to do so… Why do we have to prevent differences? Isn't that what makes someone act wise?"

Leyna nodded,

"That's true, but it's a lot more effective if we never feel them. Without emotions, we always will be able to think clearly. Then the way we remember our feelings during our life time will make us wise. We've learned enough to do our job…"

"I see…." she replied with a faint smile.

"You must be thinking that we are not alive without emotions…" she said.

"Ah—uhm…honestly, yes… because, what makes us alive is what we feel in our heart, right? If we can't feel emotion, then what make us any different from a tree or…some other plant?"

"I think I would laugh at that statement if I still had an emotion to drive me to do so… but you're right, Koizumi, we are almost like a plant. Except we will react when you try to hit us with a machet… or trying to harvest us with a sickle."

"W-wha? Now that you say that! I feel bad for doing that to my plants!"

"That's fine. That's what they exist for… just like us…"

"Eh….?"

"Just like how plants are made to feed every creature, we Valkyries are made to protect every creature… so no matter how you look at us, also doesn't matter if you will remember us or not as we do not seeking fame, we will always be your guardian"

"T-that's nice… but… I think it's still a little too extreme to sacrifice your emotions for such a duty. I mean… there should always be a time for living, right? We all can't be in war for all our lives, that would be too stressful!"

"That's the point, that's what we can't do if we have emotions…"

"Oh—right…. uhm.. then, what do the valkyries do when they're not at war?"

"Doing the guard duty…"

"That's it?"

"Yes…"

"Do you talk with each other?"

"Yes, if we have the need to do so…"

"I see…. but what about your family?"

"They are not expecting me to exist… they never do…"

"Ah—sorry…."

"It's fine, that's the truth… I was an earthborn but I couldn't cast a single magic. I remember this feeling where I really wanted to show my family that I can do something good for them—so I went to seek for power…. But I think I failed miserably— I was swarmed and stung by the White Lily's bees and no one came to help until a woman appeared. She had this ash colored hair with a strange hairstyle. Then also another woman with big breasts came by after a few minutes later, right after the other woman who took all the bees attention in order to save me…"

"W-woman with big breasts? There are so many woman with big breasts!"

"Because, by the time she came to save me, i've lost my sight and the only thing left were my hands—so I touched her to identify my savior, but… I only could feel that she had a pair of big breasts…."

"I see… but…uh.. don't tell me, your reason to come here once in a year is to find her?" Hanayo asked.

"Yes… do you know anyone with big breast?"

"T-the question is pretty strange! B-but, yes, I know a certain someone with big breast—but I don't know how big is this breast you're talking about!"

"I think it was bigger than yours…"

"L-L-Leyna-san! That's not quite an answer I expect! I mean, what if there's a person with the same size of breast but not the right one?"

"I remember she had a specific scent as well… because I remember she carried me and brought me to the Valkyries… she also had a specific voice that I remember very well…"

"I…I see! But I'm glad you do have another thing that you remember other than her breast!"

"I have one candidate that might be my savior, but, I've never really been sure about it. She was, an oracle— a professional mind mage that has been working with the Valkyries long ago… her name is, Toujou Nozomi…"

"W-W-wha? Wait! That's the person I was talking about too!"

"Really? Then it's true that she lives here?"

"S-She was! But not anymore!"

"Then do you know where she might've gone to? I have never had the chance to see her since she always leaves so quickly…"

"Uh..Terra, she lives with her girlfriend now…"

"I see. thank you… I should take my leave to repay my debt…"

And the Valkyrie put down the newspaper and left the lobby quickly.

* * *

The Valhalla;

Valkyrie Minami stood near the window of the big ship's hallway as she kept her eyes on her tablet. Suddenly, a valkyrie came up to her,

"Valkyrie Minami! Do you know where Amy is?"

"No…sorry… I've not seen her since this morning…"

"Ah! Crap! Amy! She should've known that the Elite Valkyries are coming soon to recruit! Thanks anyway, May the God Bless you!" the other valkyrie said as she left the hallway in a hurry.

Then after a few minutes, another Valkyrie came up to her,

"Valkyrie Minami! Did you see where Valkyrie Chloe is?" she asked.

"I think I saw her with Valkyrie Rina… in the foodcourt…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Thank you! May the God bless you!"

And the valkyrie left.

After a few more minutes, commander Lenora came up to her,

"Valkyrie Minami, any sign of Eir yet?"

"No, sorry, I've not seen her yet…" she replied.

"I see… thank you! May the God Bless you!"

And Commander Lenora left the hall way.

Another minute passed, and another valkyrie came,

"Valkyrie Minami, do you know where Valkyrie Rebecca is?"

"No…sorry, but you might want to ask Valkyrie Megan… she usually goes around with her…"

"Thank you! May the God Bless you!""

And the valkyrie left.

A few minutes later…

"Valkyrie Minami, do you know where Valkyrie Neal has gone off to?"

"No…sorry…. but maybe Valkyrie Francis knows…I saw them together this morning…"

"Thank you! May the God Bless you!"

Then once again, they left. Valkyrie Minami sighed weakly. Then just a few minutes later again, came a valkyrie with shining white wings and sparkling armor walking down the hallway, until her eyes fell on Valkyrie Minami.

"Ah, Valkyrie Minami, isn't it?"

"Yes? Looking for someone?" Valkyrie Minami asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for my companion that was supposed to be here a while ago, her name is Valkyrie Leyna… she might be lost somewhere since she isn't good with directions or geography... but she shouldn't be missing too far from here."

"She hasn't set her foot here yet…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Hmm, I see… thank you, I should go—…"

"Sorry, I have a question…" Valkyrie Minami cuts in.

"Yes?"

"It's my hair isn't it?"

The Valkyrie tilts her head in confusion to the question.

"Because I think everyone's mistaking me for a GPS lately…." Valkyrie Minami continued.

* * *

**Ok, let's talk about the next fan fiction...since the turning point chapter will coming up in a few more chapters.**

**So I have here on the List, next fan fiction will be NikoMaki with NozoEli side pairing. But this time I'm going to make Futa Eli. I've been wanting to do that lol. **

**but before I'm going to start that one, I'll have a short NozoEli fan fiction (maybe just gonna be about 2-4 chapters)**


	23. The Beginning of Investigation

**Ok, here is next chapter,**

**Again, sorry for taking long!**

**I hope you're not losing interest yet!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson for edits!**

* * *

Terra—After the first sail;

Nozomi and Eli walked through the outer balcony of Terra which still landed on the base of DAT planet's airport. They leaned on the fence as they enjoyed the view of the planet in front of them, colored in blue and warm oranges of the housing lights. Even though they were able to see the sun, it was still strange for the sky to be as dark as the night on earth. Or that's just how Nozomi felt.

"Hmm… this is a strange place, I can feel a lot of spirits lurking around this place…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed,

"I hope you're not going to do anything scary again, what you did to the boy was scary enough…"

"There, Ericchi, you should get used to that—since that would be something I will often do to others… but, did you know, the greatest source of magic is emotion, the boy was doing crazy things because of his emotions, so of course, a mind mage like me would abuse it…"

"But you were literally so close to killing the boy… and I don't know what he will say later about his experience after being your….medium… and I don't want to know what people will do when they find out that you're using magic."

"No one will know…and he won't mind—and he might not even remember either, like I said, I abused his emotions… it's like what happens when you're drunk or at least overwhelmed by rage… have you been there?"

"No… I have never gotten drunk after drinking—nor go on a rampage…"

"My…. You must be a very calm person then…."

"No…not really…"

"But, everyone should've experienced some kind of uncontrollable emotion at least once… or twice…"

"My emotions are always roaming around its peak but never reaches, a lot of things piss me off, yet I know It shouldn't and what I have done is what I have desired to do—even if people see it as insanity…"

"So you do always know what you're doing?"

"Yes… and I'm not going to use any excuses to make myself be forgiven. It's up to you about how you see me, because I am who I am…"

"I think it's a lie what you say you don't care— you do care and you do change for people around you. You just never realized it… or perhaps, never want to admit it… you're just like me after all!"

Eli sighed,

"Whatever…. this topic is boring…we've always talked about how we changed and how we do things around us…."

"Hmmm… you know, I wanted you to praise me for being able to become who I am right now. I feel a lot better… even though there are many that still refuse to accept me—but I can be what I want to be, I can stop pretend to be intimidating since you always protects me…we've made a lot of change to ourselves, Ericchi…"

"Why would I praise you for an achievement that was made for your own sake…"

"Because I'm your girlfriend… sheesh, why are you so dull at times…are you not proud of me?"

Eli sighed again,

"I'm still bothered by how you treated that boy…"

"He'll be fine… trust me I've given him a good experience… I'm a teacher Ericchi, remember?"

Eli smirked,

"Fine, I'll bite that…"

"If you can't trust me, then let's go to the clinic check up on him again…"

"No, it's fine… I don't want you to cause a traumatic reaction…"

"Then, what can I do to make you trust me?"

Eli sighed again,

"Let's just drop this off I guess. I'll just assume we're over with that boy…next topic, we should go back to our room and prepare for the next battle…" she said,

"We are not going to the next battle, I believe something will come up soon and we will have to deal with that instead…" Nozomi said.

Eli raised her eyebrow,

"Huh, really? What is this something? You seem to keep a lot of things to yourself…"

"I didn't keep it for myself, I've shared everything to those Valkyries and to you all too…"

"but what about the something that you said will come upon us?"

"I'm still guessing so I won't say anything yet… I could be wrong, you know…"

"Fine… I'll take your word for it…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"There, Ericchi, did I piss you off too much today?"

Eli smirked,

"Pretty much… but the day is almost over too so I don't care, let's just take a break…"

"Nope, let's do something that won't piss you off…"

"What won't piss me off? Even if you're sleeping, you still can piss me off by sneezing right on my face…"

"Oh Come on! Ericchi! You don't mind it when I sprinkle you with—you know… that…. why do you get pissed off when I sneeze on your face…"

"That's a whole different story!"

"You don't mind when I lick on your face…"

"It's still a whole different story!"

"Ericchi is so weird…"

"I'm not weird! Sheesh! Either way! You hit me when I'm trying to sleep— and I know you do that on purpose!"

"Why would I hit you in my sleep… that's rude…"

"Because you think I'm in your spot?!"

"Then isn't that your fault?"

"No way! It's my bed and you're the one who moves so close to me!"

"But whats your's is mine too—and whats mine is yours…so why are you not just moving to my bed if I did that?"

"You dragged me back down and hugged me tight!"

"Ahh…I must be very romantic—unlike a specific someone who doesn't even snuggle her own girlfriend…"

"Nozomi!"

"Did I bite your nose too?"

"Yes!"

"Then I must have been really hungry that time—if only someone gave me a good night kiss, maybe I'll be a lot more calm…"

"That's not even related!"

"Did you know a good night kiss from a special someone can make someone get a good nights sleep?"

"You're just making excuses!"

"Hmm…maybe… after all, it's all your fault, because you're not romantic , I get so demanding and lonely… but good thing that I'm such a loyal girlfriend, I'm true to my love and I don't cheat with anyone…"

"N….Nozomi—!" Eli lost her words, she couldn't speak of anything else and started to grumbles until she decided to grab Nozomi.

"Fine! Let's go on a date! Stop pissing me off!"

"In the middle of a time like this? I mean, we're at war… going on date is too much…"

"Then what do you want?! Sheesh!"

"I want something quick and make my heart beat really fast… something that a lover would do in their free time…"

Eli remained quiet for a moment, then smiled mischievously,

"Then I guess you want it sweaty and warm too, huh?"

Nozomi chuckled,

"That's my Ericchi, I'm glad you understand— sometimes you're just too dull when you're in a bad mood … putting that aside, let's just get on the act…I'm tired enough to deal with the bad mood Ericchi"

Eli frowned,

"Then be prepared…."

* * *

Terra—The Server Room;

A young-looking woman and a young man with mechanic parts stood behind the desk as Tsubasa, Anjuu and Erena stood on the other side.

"….so you've come to pick up the materials?" the woman said.

"No—but I really want to confirm this again, this is, the Endless Citadel that I'm talking about, we will needs a big…no… a gigantic spaceship in order to crash it completely and stop it from moving to the earth… there will be only a few months left and I'm pretty sure that if we are building one—we won't be able to manage to move it to where it should be…"

"It's not about the size, it's about the materials and the power…. So you don't have to make a big one, you just need a good sized one with powerful materials and engine to do it…. we can offer you the best engineer we have—then maybe also the best soldiers to accompany you and that's all we can give you…"

Tsubasa shook her head,

"I understand that you can't sacrifice Terra, but… think again, are you sure this will do it? If we fail—we will have no more time to work on a second plan…"

"That's why you do the first plan while we work on the second plan. You have to believe that we are really trying to protect the earth— but yes, sacrificing Terra will be the last plan we—…"

"Don't be an idiot!" A voice of an oldman was heard echoing inside the room.

They all started to look around until a portal appeared with a familiar old man walking out from it,

"W-whoa?! Old man! How did you—!?"

"I'm a mage, it's not hard to spy from where I am…"

"We can't tolerate any magic usage here—old man!" The woman intimidated the old man as she took out a pair of guns.

"Let's not be furious, Mrs. Terra… this old man might be coming to give us information!" Tsubasa said as she quickly stood up to protect the man.

"You tell her, young girl, but I see your intention is good and true now—so you got my support…" the old man said.

"Thank you!" Tsubasa nodded with a smile.

"Anyway, The Endless Citadel isn't simply big and cursed—it's also well protected by a huge barrier. The city was made by a group of mages who wanted to outpower Terra's existence. They wanted to make a city that could grow outside the earth and no one knows what mishappenings caused them to be the way they are right now… to put it simply—they have so many mysteries that only mages know… so by ignoring our ability to create such a powerful creation is idiotic! Even if you crash this big ass ship—it will never be destroyed…."

"You're underestimating our power to deny your nonsense! Our technology is made to fight against the magic that you all possess! We give our people a hope to live as a strong being–like you all mages!"

"Should we be in this argument while we are all in danger?!"

"The only danger is on you—earth born! We can always just stay away from your cursed planet!"

"No—it will spread out to all over the galaxy, because we are all mages! Just look at how I set my foot here!" the old mage points out.

"This kind of teleportation can be done by anyone who knows a high level of magic—and I can teleport a whole army of mages here if I wish to! So you better be scared if the curse will ever reach us! It will be a real apocalypse for the creatures all over the galaxies!" he continued.

The woman smirked bitterly,

"Then, what do you think we all can do?" Tsubasa asked.

The old man sighed heavily,

"It's started with an 'If' and ended with a certainty…" he said.

Anjuu seemed to notice something as he said it.

"To awaken the Goddess, we need those people who possesses each of the sentence… those are inherited from generation to generation and some are spoken directly…and I know two of it are held by the Koizumi family and the Nishikino Family…" he continued again.

"Ah! Both are the well respected family that associated with the making of this ship—or at least, that's what my father said…" said Mrs. Terra.

"Nishikino and Koizumi? Then…that would be, Nishikino Maki and Koizumi Hanayo?" Tsubasa asked.

"There are plenty of people with those names though… just saying…" Erena said.

"Yes, but won't be bad thing to try and ask them about it. Maybe they actually know…" Anjuu said.

"If its true that they're the one who possesses them, then, I'm sure that it is their fate to save the entire galaxy…and it will be a lot easier to trust them—knowing their backgrounds…" Tsubasa said.

"Then why don't you all seek for them? I can give you Nishikino Maki's room address and talk to them… see if she is willing to help out—just say that whatever choice she makes, I'm going to let her do it…even if it will have to involve Sonoda Umi or Ayase Eli…"

"Got it!" Tsubasa replied cheerfully.

"On the side note, if you take them, then you already have our help—they're the best soldiers we have right now, and also a great engineer team. You should also deal with Toujou Nozomi—who just recently befriend them and somehow become a great asset to the team…"

The Old man smiled,

"Haha—at least I can say that student of yours is a very skilled one. I won't doubt her ability…"

"Thanks, Old Man, at least now I know you can appreciate our people and our technology…"

* * *

Terra's Journal Room;

Maki and Umi stood next to each other as they looked onto the headlined news that was placed on the board,

_Cyber Vs Magic: A __'Magical' Gigantic Living Armor spotted on the Main Ship—Yet 'All' The Soldiers in Mission survived without a single scratch!_

The crowd seemed to be focused on reading the news that the duo knew as a misleading news. They know that the Magical Living Armor that appeared wasn't on the enemy side—but what can they say? If they know where the Living Armor come from, it could become more troublesome than the misleading news itself.

"Aaah! That's the main ship, isn't it! That's where Ayase senpai's team is!"

"Yeah! That's really awesome! She must've been the one who held the line!"

"It must be Sonoda-senpai who did the big hit to the magical being!"

"And Nishikino-chan must be the one who did the killing blow!'

"…come to think of it! Toujou-senpai is pretty cool with her gun—she is always accurate… no wonder Ayase-senpai doesn't mind to be her girlfriend!"

"I wish I was as good as Toujou-senpai! I want to be Ayase-senpai's girlfriend!"

"I'll go with Sonoda-senpai anytime, she is still the best marksman…"

"I prefer the speed type, Nishikino-san for the win!"

"I think I like Toujou-san, but I doubt anyone will agree about her greatness!"

"Skill wise, I believe Sonoda-san is a lot better… and speed wise, Nishikino-san must be the best...and strength wise, no question but Ayase-san… so I think Toujou-san is the balanced one in the team? Jack of All trade?"

And the crowd began a huge discussion about it. Maki and Umi just sighed,

"Let's….just go somewhere… it's starting to feel itchy here…" Maki said as she started to walk away.

"I know…" Umi replied as she followed her.

As they got a little further away from the Journal Room, a little girl appeared and quickly ran to the red head.

"Nishikino-senpai!" she called.

Maki and Umi remained quiet as they stopped to look at her.

"S-sorry! I…I just wanted to ask about Akira-kun…"

"Akira-kun?" Maki raised her eyebrow.

The little girl nodded,

"Yes, he is the one that your team saved!"

"I'm sorry, I can't give information to anyone, even if you're young…" Maki said.

"Ah—I'm sorry! I'm… My name is Kyouko, Akira-kun's older sister…"

"Oh!"

"He ran away from home since a week ago, but no one knows where he is. I thought we lost him for good, but the news told us that he is still alive and saved by your team during the mission.."

"Ah, then you're his family…"

"Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble… I don't mind if you want to charge us for not taking care of him—…"

"No, that won't be my problem, you should finish up that one with the administrator, I'm more concerned by the way he is all alone… so… maybe, you should ask your parents to let you visit him…with them if possible…"

"Our parents were killed long ago—during the first mission with the Angra Twins… we live with grandpa and grandma…." She replied.

"I see…" Maki replied.

"So Nozomi was right about him…." Umi said.

"Huh? Did she say anything?" Maki asked.

"Yes, she guessed that he was there to revenge for someone that was close to him…"

"Oh…"

"Yes, Akira-kun was always so determined about it. He really wanted to kill the twins with his own hands…"

"He did…." Maki said.

Kyouko eyes went wide in surprise,

"He was really the one who killed them… we just weakened them…" Maki added again.

Kyouko remain quiet for a moment and smiled softly,

"That's…. unbelieveable…" she said calmly.

"But….Thank you, Nishikino-senpai… I'll just take it as something true…" she continued again.

"It's true….but maybe he doesn't remember it… I think he is having a hard time trying to remember what happened…"

She nodded,

"I'll make sure to tell that to grandpa and grandma…"

"Anyway, you were asking about his condition right? Well, other than he is having a little hard time to remember about the scenes, I think he is also exhausted from all the fighting he did in there. He needs to take a lot of rest… must eat more in the past few days to regain his stamina…"

"I see…."

"His room number is 710, check him out soon, will you?"

"Yes, then I'll be going now, senpai…" she said before she bowed and ran, leaving the two soldiers to their own business.

Umi seemed to be lost,

"Is he really the one who did the killing blow?" Umi asked.

"Yes, Nozomi turned him into ..uh…what did they call it, familiar? Then he killed them both at once.. it was crazy…."

"Well, she is crazy at times, I know that… but to think of it, it was nice of Nozomi to do that… even though I swear I was scared for life that she would actually sacrifice him…"

"Yeah, I suppose she knew how it feels to be able to take a revenge… but she really is something…. no wonder Eli took a shine on her…"

Umi sighed,

"I swear they were enemies, now they basically just can't be separated from each other… just look at how they got so noisy at night…I won't dare to open my eyes..."

"Huh? All I know was that they got into fights with each other because Eli was trying so hard to sleep while Nozomi kept annoying her…they smack each other with pillows sometime…."

"Really?"

"Yeah…."

"Wow, I thought they were doing some lewd things… so that's why I kept telling myself to not peek…"

"Heh—I thought you knew that they were not going to do anything like that in front of us…? What kind of an awkward being would show off something like that? Unless what they look for is trouble…."

"I know—but there is still something that makes me think that they might be doing it as I close my eyes…"

"You mean, you imagine them doing it while you're closing your eyes?"

"W-what? No! No way! Why would I imagine them doing it while I'm closing my eyes? It's not like it's a good bed time story!"

"You seem to be carried away though…"

"A-Ahh! W-well! I'm not into things like that, ok?!"

"Yeah-yeah…sure…"

"S-s-seriously though! W-Why would I do that?!" Umi said nervously.

"Because you're actually a pervert?"

"W-wh-What do you mean by that! I-I mean! I-I'm not a pervert! Sheesh!"

"Yeah….sure… you're not…." Maki said sarcastically.

"W-what? No! I'm not imagining things at night, you know…Sh-sheesh!"

"Is that so? Then what if I said…. Nozomi bent over as Eli approach her from behind and then—…."

And before Maki was able to finish her made up story…

"M-M-Maki! Seriously! You're not supposed to tease your upperclassman!"

"I'm not teasing you, I just want to confirm something clearly… besides, just look at you, with this conversation only, you already got a nosebleed…."

"W-wh-what?" Umi touched her nose and upon bringing down her hand she saw dark red, inked on her fingers.

"I-I'm just tired, ok? I…I'm going back!" Umi said before she quickly held her nose and ran away from the place.

Maki sighed heavily.

"Loser, aren't you…" she mumbled.

And before she could do anything else…

"Maki-chaaaaaaaannn! I found youuuu!" said a familiar voice.

Maki turned around and—

"R-Rin! Hmmpfh!?" Rin jumped on her and both fell to the rough floor.

"W-whoa! There! Rin! That was too aggressive!" Niko protested.

"Hehe! But I miss Maki-chan so much-nya!" Rin said with a playful smile.

"Get off her already, she is going to eat you!" Niko said.

"Eh?"

Maki smirked and frowned as she quickly got up —

"Riiiiiinnn!"

"W-whaa! M-Maki-chan is angry-nyaaa!" Rin quickly ran away as Maki chased her.

"W-whoa! Maki-chan! Don't run! We need to talk!" Honoka said as she ran as well.

"H-Hey! You all!" Niko quickly chased after them.

"W-w-wait there, why are you all running?!" Tsubasa said as she quickly followed them.

Erena and Anjuu sighed.

"I guess we will still have to wait for a while…"

* * *

Valhalla;

A silver haired woman stood in front of Valkyrie Minami, she was pretty short and looked very young and also appeared to look clever —even though she was just got a little lost a bit before and had to be dragged to Valhalla.

"Valkyrie Minami, thank you for everything you've done in the past… I'm very happy to be who I am…" she said.

"Happy…? I thought you couldn't feel any emotion?"

"It's true I can't right now. But I remember I was happy–or so my feelings said. Either way, I'll try to spread the happiness even if I can't feel it… and I'll make sure everyone will color the world with their brightest smile… just like what you wanted…."

"That's really sweet, Valkyrie Leyna…"

"Thank you… anyway, Valkyrie Minami, I believe you received an invitation to become the elite Valkyrie, why are you not accepting it yet?"

"Because… I still can't leave something behind…so…I'm not quite ready to do my job…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"What about the poison though? Isn't it consuming you already?"

"Actually, a professor from Terra took care of it. She discovered a way to replace flesh and bones using the current technology that they own…" she giggled.

"How is that even possible?"

"The Nishikino clinic has always been researching on how to renew body parts—but they move very slowly due to the chance of success…until something happened to their daughter, they had to hasten the research and by accident, the professor found a way to replace body parts…"

"That's good?"

"Yes, it's good. She just needed to use a few materials—it's like alchemy…"

"You know Alchemy?"

"Yes, my daughter is an alchemist—or at least she is trying hard to be one. Before I was stung by those bees, I already had a sickness that made me unable to move around so much… she was really determined to find a way to cure me but, it cost her something as she started it…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Please tell me more… I might be able to help her…"

"No, don't worry about it. She has moved on… she joined the space police a while back… I think she gave up her alchemy after she found out that I'm avoiding her… and perhaps she gave up a lot more things than that…"

"It's that ok?"

"Yes, I realized that I'm being a burden… always telling her to do this and that… I care too much about her, but I couldn't see about her future…. I really should've let her grow up in her own way instead of telling her to do this and that for me…."

"Isn't that what every parent does though?"

"Pretty much a mistake that almost every parent makes, but to tell you the truth, parent's job is to guide—not to command, and they're supposed to be understanding instead of judging…"

Leyna nodded,

"I agree… but then–if it was a mistake, then why are there a lot of people doing it and why is it never fixed?"

Valkyrie Minami chuckled,

"It can't be fixed—because it's pretty much a mistake that happens when someone doesn't know how else to express what they wish to tell… because after all, children are our wishes, we always have something we look forward into from them. Something like that will just naturally happen… and guess what, even though we know we're wrong— the last person we want to know as someone who pointed out our mistake is our own children…"

Leyna nodded again,

"I understand that... because parents want to keep their pride as parents, right?'

"I wouldn't say that. It's not about pride… it's more like, if our children is the one who pointed out our mistakes—then how can we teach them about respecting the elder?"

"If we're younger, does that mean we can't point out the elder's mistake?"

"Hmm… that's a tricky one to explain—but, to tell you the truth, it's not that they can't, but it's more like what will be in their mind as they feel a victory over someone who is supposed to take care of them. They will no longer respect us as parents, they will stop listening to us and move on their own…you know we don't want that to happen… right?"

"Can't it be settled in a nicer way? I mean like… a discussion, an agreement or something?"

"If only it could be that simple—after all the mistakes that happened in the past…I doubt it can be as simple as that… I'm afraid, that children will keep grudges and they will never try to understand us… even if we try to make a discussion—it will just end up in more trouble."

"Are you not in a good relationship with your daughter?"

Valkyrie Minami remained quiet for a moment,

"Honestly…I don't know… I feel like Kotori is a part of me… and…we just…often lie to keep ourselves out of trouble… we're cowards… indecisive and let negative thoughts cloud our judgment…. I mean like, maybe, she hates me for avoiding her, and maybe she also hates me for pushing her away from home… even though I have a clear reason for it… then there is also a maybe where she already kept a grudge on me ever since her father moved out for his work…"

"I don't see them as a reason to hate someone like you? Or at least, I don't think there can be good reasons to stop you for doing it… you have a good purpose."

"True, that's logically true, but…then again—can it really be forgiven? Because that time when she cried, I scolded her and told her to not be selfish—while in fact, it was me who has been selfish… it was her right to get what she could get….yet I did not fulfill it…"

Leyna remained quiet,

"Sorry, I think I can't understand the emotion in this topic–but I can understand the reason… I hope your daughter will understand…. Then perhaps if I can make a suggestion, then, I'd say, maybe you should talk to your daughter directly…"

"mm…no… I'm not brave enough to do it…because, thing is... if we ever have a face to face argument, I don't think I can handle it—I'm never good at that… I only could talk with others and hope for a good solution to that—and perhaps, a reason to act like what I think is agreeable."

"I understand… then perhaps you need someone to help you out to talk with your daughter…?"

"Yes…and maybe for this case, I need someone who can be blunt about things… but also needs to be the person that is close to her…"

"Then it's certainly not me, right?"

Valkyrie Minami smiled faintly,

"If you think you can, then maybe you can give it a try…"

"Then I'll try to do it… if you'll excuse me…"

Leyna quickly stood up and left the hall way.

"That was quick… I wonder if she knows where Kotori is."

* * *

Terra—the Food Court;

Maki, Niko, Honoka, Rin, Tsubasa, Erena and Anjuu gathered in the food court after a long chase, Maki and Rin were still fit and completely energized while Honoka, Tsubasa and Niko looked exhausted from all the running—but they had fun and more importantly, they all got to eat some food after. While Niko, Honoka, Tsubasa, and Rin ate their meals, Erena and Anjuu decided to go into the important topic.

"It's about the research that we handed to your family—it appears to be something very important…" Anjuu said.

"Is that so? Then, I guess you want us to hasten it?"

"Would be nice, but, we don't mind to wait—…"

"No, we can't wait, Anjuu…" Erena cuts in.

Maki and Anjuu turned to her,

"It's very important to know it—so that we can arrange a plan and do the preparations…"

"I know, but we must be not be too hasty…"

"This is an emergency, Anjuu… a few months is not a long time in this case…"

"Heh—What is this emergency you're talking about?" Maki asked.

"You see, Nishikino-san, we just got a report from the scouts about the Endless Citadel…"

"Endless Citadel, that place with a lot of virus?"

"Yes… or a curse…however you want to call it—it's moving towards the earth and you know what that means…."

"The entire galaxy is in danger, huh? Knowing that The earth is filled with mages and powerful creatures… if that virus infects them—then it might be as well infect the entire galaxy and turning it into an apocalypse…" Maki said.

"You know a lot about it…"

"Of course, who do you think I am? I've dealt with creatures that are infected with it… we still couldn't find a cure other than to let the Valkyrie take them or to end their suffering by taking their life… even replacing flesh doesn't work…"

"It doesn't?" Erena asked,

"No, sadly not. The Virus spreads too quickly—but they show no sign of the infection until it's close to the time of their real transformation to happen, which we do not know when. So, I suppose, to answer your question, if you want to deal with that, we have to find the cure first and maybe gather up more people to understand things about the virus just in case of the danger from the virus itself. We've been working together with the Valkyries too—and since we don't want to spread the news yet until we find a way to cure it, we are very careful on picking on who we will tell the information to…"

"Question, how do you know if someone is infected if they show no sign of the infection until it's close to the time of their real transformation?" Anjuu asked.

"Blood test… we run a blood test on everyone, from time to time… to everyone in Terra… even the Alaistair…"

"Wait, you said the Alaistair? Why do they need blood test as well?"

Maki sighed,

"Obviously because they can still be infected… and will make them a lot more dangerous as they're hard to kill and can't be simply poisoned… this virus is like a magic, yet it's not quite magic either…we really need to advance our technology and work together with some mages or something to solve the problem…but sheesh, no professional herbalist, alchemist, or anything you call mages who works with things like this want to work on the project.. they said, it's too risky for themselves…"

"Then why don't we ask Kotori?"

"Kotori? She is busy, right? I don't want to bother her… she has a lot on her shoulders already…" Maki said.

"She just joined the Police a while back. She can assist your clinic to work on it…." Anjuu said.

"E-Eh? Really?" Maki said in a surprise.

"Next problem is to let her stay here… because this is a place with cyber technology, I doubt people can simply accept her… especially with the previous….event…or tragedy, whatever you call it…" Tsubasa joined the conversation after she finished her meal.

"Actually—I've always known someone's family owns an Inn, but I suppose she just doesn't want to admit it… or maybe it's supposed to be a secret… but, thing is, I think I can talk to that someone and convince her to give Kotori a place to stay while she helps our clinic's research… Her name will be absolutely anonymous and no one will ever know where she stays… unless she decides to let someone join her–but, joining her in the Inn Room already sounds wrong…" Maki replied.

"You said…Inn… right? Not a love hotel?" Tsubasa said.

"Uh… you know what I mean–and you know why I said, Inn— not Love Hotel…"

"Eh? Why?" Tsubasa asked.

"Because I don't want it to sound wrong…but I guess now its sounds too late to say it eh…"

"Put that aside, I don't think I want to let Kotori live in a love hotel…" Erena said.

"Yes, that would be too awkward…" Anjuu said.

"Eh I knew you would say that, but… to tell you the truth, the love hotel isn't that bad. They separate everyone's room and no one can go to anyone's room unless they're invited, it's absolutely a great place to hide from the public… that's why they're expensive…"

"Now you have me interested on how secretive they are…" Tsubasa said with full of enthusiasm.

"Tsubasa! You put your motivation in a wrong place!" Erena protested.

"Huh? But it's interesting!"

"There, Tsubasa, you don't snoop around for something like that…" Anjuu said.

"But…."

"Again, put that aside, I wonder why you're not the one to give her a place to live…" Erena said,

"Huh? Well, I can't... my place is too open for her…so I don't think so… unless you want to deal with crazy fans, it's better to stay anonymous." Maki said.

"Ooo…Crazy Fans! What do they do-nya?"

"A lot… you just don't want to cause a problem with them, Nozomi did and it was bad… trust me…"

"Sounds fun-nya! Can I try?" Rin asked.

"Heck, no, don't even try… we're at war–we all have our weapons…and allowed to kill anyone during this time…." Maki said.

"Oh... ok!"

"You just don't look for trouble…. Ok?" Niko huffed.

"Sheesh, why do we always have to work so hard to stay focused, I mean… putting that aside, we're now talking about how Kotori can fit here…."

"Eh—well, I'm not quite sure either, why don't we ask someone else?"

"Oh—right, that, Sonoda Umi or Ayase Eli… maybe they have something else that will work?" Tsubasa asked.

"Wait a minute, that's right… Eli should have something that will work out… we should call her…." Maki said as she quickly searched through her pocket to pull out her tablet and start working while the rest watched over her shoulders.

After a while, Maki sets her tablet on loud speaker….

"Yes?" Eli responded after accepting the call.

"Hey, Eli… are you busy?" Maki asked,

"Not quite, we were just working out…" Eli replied—sounding like she was breathing heavily in a good pace.

"Working out….? At this time of the night?" Maki tilted her head to the side in confusion,

"Yeah…" Eli replied.

And suddenly…

"Ahhh! Ericchi! You're being too fast and too rough! Slow down!" Nozomi's voice could be heard in the phone from the distance.

"A few more rounds and you're allowed to take a short break…" Eli said clearly which seems to be for Nozomi.

"Why are you two working out at this time of the night—I mean, I know everything is open for 24 hours here…but still… why?" Maki asked.

"Because Nozomi wants to spend more energy…" Eli replied.

Again—suddenly….

"Ohhh! Too Deep! Ericchi! You're going too deep! Be Gentle!"

"You asked for it on your own so deal with it …" Eli replied

"Did she get her something?" Tsubasa asked.

"Oh…you're with someone else, Maki?" Eli asked.

"Yeah… they're Tsubasa and friends."

"Well, we're not getting anything…I'm just helping Nozomi doing push-ups now…"

"Really? Why does your conversation sounds like you got something for her?" Tsubasa asked.

"She is just trying to make it sound wrong…" Eli said.

"Oh…."

In the background, they could hear Nozomi moaning,

"But really, what do you actually want?" Eli asked.

"Well, uh…we were just wondering if you want to help us out on an occasion."

"Ah, sure…"

"E-Ericchi! Don't go out just yet…!"

"Shut up… what first comes first…"

"I can't come yet! I'm still all wet…"

"Sheesh… fine… I'll go for more…"

"You should help me finish…"

"I know…"

The people on the other side of the call could hear Nozomi giggling,

"That's my Ericchi, you should be responsible for what you made me do…"

Maki, Tsubasa, Erena, and Anjuu looked at each other, wondering what they were actually up to.

"Where are you all? I'll be there in a few more minutes…" Eli asked.

"Let's just meet up in our room…" Maki said.

"Alright, I'll be going there… from the gym…"

"Got it…"

Maki hung up the phone and sighed weakly…

Tsubasa chuckled,

"Hey, should we try to visit them at the 'gym'… huh?" Tsubasa said with a playful smile.

"Heck…NO!"

* * *

Outside of Terra—the parking lot;

Umi sat on her ship, tending her own nose which has been bleeding for a while. She tried to calm herself down and keep looking at the mirror in her ship, making sure that there will be no more blood running out of her nose.

Suddenly….

"Umi-chan!" a familiar voice called out causing Umi to blow more blood out of her nose.

"K-K-Kotori!" Umi quickly turned around to see the girl wearing a cute police outfit that consisted of a dark colored skirt, with a white shirt, black tie and white blazer worn over the attire and a round police hat attached to the side of the said girls head.

"W-w-waa! Umi-chan! You're bleeding!"

"I-It-It's ok! I-I'm just a little tired!"

"T-t-Tired? Tired can make you bleed that much?"

"Y-Y-yes!"

"Umi-chan! That's scary! More importantly though, this place is cold! Your blood might freeze and cause more trouble!"

"I-It's fine! I'm perfectly fine!" Umi said in panic.

"Oh—Uhm! Maybe you want something to increase your stamina? I brought some medicine supply!"

"Increase…my stamina…..?" Umi flustered for a moment,

Kotori nodded,

"Yes, so that you can do more things even at night!"

"W-wh-whoa?! I don't need anything like that! I-I'm really fine!" Umi said in panic again as her nose kept bleeding in a uncontrollable fashion.

"U-Umi-chan! W-What's wrong with you?! A-Are you ok?" Kotori asked in worry,

"I-I'm really fine!"

"D-Do you need help?" Kotori asked as she approached her.

"N-No! No! Stop! Noooo!"

* * *

Terra—the dorm room;

They explained everything to Eli and Nozomi. The two seemed to be able to grasp the idea quickly, though it took a while for them to discuss a few things together,

"…alright, we've got a solution…" Eli said.

"Yup… we decide to let Kotori-chan stay in Ericchi's house…" Nozomi said.

"It's been empty and we rarely go there to take care of a few things… so, if Kotori wants to use it, then she can…. Let's say that it's a lot better than to have her stay in a place where it involves someone's secret…" Eli said as she averted her eyes...

"Plus, you don't need to worry much about the goods that you handed over to the Nishikino family, I've been going there to help out—but I suppose getting Kotori-chan's help will do a lot… or let's just be honest. I'm pretty stuck at a few things… these goods really require a lot of knowledge…" Nozomi added.

"Hey, you haven't told us about what they are…" Tsubasa said.

"Just like what they always say, it's a projector…." Nozomi replied.

"But what does the projector have anything to do with the pirates?" Anjuu asked.

"It's sort of a machine to explain something by expanding the visual of smaller screen, right? so I suppose they can use it to explain things—just like how the soldiers here do their briefing…" Nozomi replied.

"We know that, but why do they have to make it so complex? Because, according to Niko-chan's story…."

Before Anjuu could finish,

"They're keeping those goods in a very tight security, you know—that must be something more important than that…" Niko pointed out.

"Yeah-nya, it was also really hard to get in—and to copy every single things there-nya…"

"It was also difficult to trade it with the real one, and we've already made sure that they're really thinking that as something very important…" Honoka pitched into the conversation.

"What if it's a trap though?" Maki asked.

"We're very sure it's not a trap…" Niko said.

"Yeah-nya! It's not a trap and we're very sure!" Rin added.

"Now that you say it, a worker told me that he felt like someone was watching them working on the research….I'm sure your mother has mentioned about it too, right Maki-chan?" Nozomi looked at the red-head in question.

"Yeah—that's why we've been slowing things down because we need to pretend that we couldn't figure it out… but we're also pretty sure that something is off about the goods…" Maki replied.

"But more importantly, the security also said that they've been seeing someone going in and out as the research continues… but they're not quite sure about it since somehow—that someone looks to be magical…" Nozomi said.

"Are you sure it's not you?" Eli asked.

"Of course not, Ericchi! Sheesh! They can't be that stupid for mentioning the person who asked them about it! Beside, I totally walk in and out with permission from professor Nishikino!"

"I see, so that's why you were gone in the morning…" Eli said with a slight chuckle,

"Yup–I'm not a sleepy head like Ericchi in the morning…I keep working my ass off…" Nozomi said proudly.

"Sure-sure…"

"But sheesh! Ericchi! You're talking like I keep causing trouble! You should keep my fame decent from now on!" Nozomi said.

"Sadly, you're already infamous in our eyes…" Erena said.

"Yeah—over a million kills done in ten years, you're really something, you know that…" Tsubasa said.

"The law needs to change–since we can't arrest you because you're always only slaughtering the outlaws—or those who break the rules…" Anjuu said.

Nozomi chuckled,

"One day I'll turn myself in… but I still have a lot of things to do right now… the world is a lot more important, right?" she said playfully.

"Now you made me lose my appetite to arrest you…" Tsubasa said.

"Tsubasa! You shouldn't say that!" Erena smacked Tsubasa's head.

"Anyhow, we can forget about that unknown person for now since no other information leaked yet apart from what has been heard from among us… if you guys want to see how Ericchi's house is, we should go there and then tell Kotori-chan about everything we have… I believe she'll be excited to hear it…" Nozomi said.

"Oh–right, I'll call Kotori right away, she should be bored after waiting in the parking lot… we were going around for too long…" Tsubasa said as she quickly took our her tablet and called the said girl,

As she could hear her accept the call,

"Oui, Kotori! Bonjour!" Tsubasa greeted.

"Tsu-Tsubasa-chan! Nice timing!" Kotori said in panic.

"W-What's wrong?"

* * *

**RIP, Sonoda Umi.**

**joking lol. She still has a lot more important role in the story...**

**Anyhow, next chapter gonna take a while again. Still lots more thing to go on in real life for me. Thanks for waiting and thanks for understanding! I promise this story won't be abandoned and it will surely go until it finished. **


	24. First Step to The Truth

**Ok, sorry for the long delay again.**

**Here is next chapter.**

**I hope you're still into this!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/ and follows! ( also the kind words that keep motivating me!)**

**Thanks to Crimson too for the edits!**

* * *

About three days passed,

They haven't moved to the ship—instead, they were still staying in Terra to conduct their current research. Kotori and Nozomi tried their best to support the research—but….

"…..this is…weird, Nozomi-chan, I know we're short of days…but, for whatever sake, I can't figure out the meaning behind all these nonsense recipes…" Kotori said.

"…to begin with, I've never known this as an alchemy recipe—it feels like random lines and scribbles to me…" Nozomi said.

"Oh! Well, we sure have our own way to write our recipes, it's nothing like magic technology though, I've never understand your part either…. But, I think we need to get out of this place—let's take it to Earth. Perhaps, then we can do real research in the library."

"You're right, I think we can do more there— I know some of my old writings can provide information to help us dig deeper into puzzle… I don't know about Ericchi and everyone else's research though…." Nozomi turned to the soldier trio that has been working on the research as well.

"They really are some restless ones, aren't they…?" Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Mmm…. Not to mention it, but I wonder how you all can survive those crazy fans….I mean, just two days, and I got some people trying to terrorize me, but thanks to the security in the residence area— they protected me well…" Kotori said again.

The purple haired girl chuckled,

"That's why we thought that staying on Ericchi's home is a great idea...even though you don't have that much privacy, the professionals still handles the security, unlike some other places around here… but trust me, I've got worse…"

"I believe that, I know how you began your day here…" Kotori replied with a faint smile.

"There-there, you don't need to compliment me…." Nozomi said with her smug face.

"Eehh?" Kotori tilt her head slightly in confusion, complimenting the older girl was definitely not in her list.

"I know my ability to cause trouble is marvelous! You don't have to remind me...!" Nozomi continued proudly.

"O-Okay…uh…if you say so!" Kotori replied.

"Anyway, do you happen to be able to contact those little polices?"

"L-Little police? Uh..Nozomi-chan, you're starting to creep me out a little…"

"W-what? I'm just a little hyper today! But –Hey, that Nikocchi is an example; she is a tiny, little police…" Nozomi said excitedly.

"Uhhh…N-Nozomi-chaaann…" Kotori smirked.

"There, Nozomi… are you high again today?" Eli said as she approached them,

"Nope—I'm clear as a cream soup!"

"Cream soup is not clear, silly… but now that you said it, you must've eaten the cream soup again today… How many times do I have to tell you that it's not for a fit person…?"

"Ehh…but it's healthy!"

"It is healthy, but it was meant for those who are tired… if you eat it while you're fit, you'll be hyper… sheesh…."

"Hmm…. I'm interested to know further about the ingredients, anyway, Eli-chan, do you happen to have some sort of an encyclopedia about the other place's ingredients?" Kotori asked.

"You mean natural resources that happen to grow or at least produced by other planets? Sure, it's all in the library— if you buy a tablet, you'll be able to access it… but not to forget that you have to register your ID. Just use your police ID…."

"Uhh…purchase a tablet, huh? But I've no money—I've spend it all to buy the ingredients, my next salary will be delivered next month…" Kotori said.

"Ericchi, you should buy it for her!" Nozomi suggested.

"W-what? Me? No… my spending is doubled already, thanks to you…" Eli replied with a smirk,

"Then, Kotori-chan, you should find your own sugar mommy since Ericchi is obviously mine!" Nozomi encouraged her cheerfully,

"Uh…alright, then let's try Honoka-chan…? Uh…no, she is in debt herself…. Then….OH!" Kotori raised her eyebrow before she quickly ran to where the other two soldiers were,

"Uhhh….Umi-chaaaaaann! Can you please buy me a tablet…?" Kotori begged cutely.

"W-what? But! I need my money to upgrade my ship! It's not cheap, you know!" Umi replied.

"I see…" Kotori replied disappointedly with the saddest face she could ever make,

"D-D-Don't give me that face!" Umi said in panic,

"Hey, what are you upgrading your ship with?" Maki asked.

"I want to upgrade the back guns; it's a little rusty already…."

"Eh—but, don't you have spare parts somewhere in the workshop? You always have it…"

"T-true! But, the one that I'm aiming for, is a better one, a new model, I tell you! I examined the power and it's five times better than the current one!"

"New model? If I were you I would wait for it to get a little older…"

"But—the new one is always the best…"

"No wonder you're always short on money despite your high salary… stop buying new stuff right away after it's launched… They're a rip off… even if it's set on sale…"

"B-but!"

"U-Umi-chan! I thought you were brighter than that!" Kotori said sadly.

"H-huh?! W-Well! Y-You see? In my defense—…."

"Just buy her tablet, Umi, I think it's a lot more useful right now…."

"M-My guns! My ship! It's—…."

"I'll make sure that Eli will upgrade that for you…" Maki cuts in.

"T-there! Why are you dragging me into this?! I told you my spending is already doubled because of Nozomi!" Eli protested.

"Well, then Ericchi needs to have a little diet on the rip off chocolate… you can get them 100 times cheaper on earth…" Nozomi said.

"Yeah—Eli, you're spending too much on chocolate…" Maki said.

"Look! It only takes about ¼ of my monthly salary to purchase a box…"

"…and what can you get from ¼ of your monthly salary? Two weeks of food…." Maki said bluntly at her senior.

"Ericchi is such a spender…"

"You there! You make me spend like ½ of my monthly salary!" Eli protested.

"Well, I'm your girlfriend…"

"That was such an excuse! Sheesh! Why don't you use your own money?!"

"Because I spend them for research? After all, that's my intention to be here…"

"But now that you said it—does that mean Ericchi prefers to choose chocolate over me?"

"T-That's—!" Eli smirked,

"I see.. so you do prefer chocolate than me…." Nozomi said in dramatic yet sarcastic tone

"N-No! Sh-Sheesh!"

"Then, it's not going to be a problem to spend half of your salary for me, right? If you ever need extra cash, then you should drop the behavior of buying chocolates for yourself…" Nozomi said as she crossed her arms.

"Fine!" Eli said.

"That's my Ericchi…"

"W-wow…. Is that a power of being a girlfriend or something?" Maki smirked,

"I'm disappointed in you, Eli-senpai…I thought you were better than that..." Umi said in all seriousness.

"T-there! I know I'm a loser! You don't need to emphasize it by calling me out in that manner!"

"Now-now, what have you all got here?" Nozomi asked,

"Oh? You mean our research? Well…. it comes to this that we managed to figure out how the machine should be like—it is indeed a mix of magic technology and cyber technology, but in all honesty, we can't actually tell how it works. On our guesses, we might indeed have to solve the puzzle of the whiteboard itself…and—well, we also need to get on earth to find the artifact that Rin mentioned before…" Maki explained.

"The workers said, they can't give us anymore help on this case, because none of them are skilled enough to do so—but they can provide us with materials that are able to replace some damaged parts..." Umi added,

"All we can do is to wait for you two with the current research…" Eli added,

"Well, the news is, we both have to go back to earth as well to conduct some research in the library—then maybe as well ask Hanayo-chan? She is pretty good at understanding materials…" Nozomi said.

"Uh. yeah… and—that means that I'll have to hurry up and pack so I can move to the ship…" Kotori said.

"Yup, you three should do that too…" Nozomi said.

"You should too, Nozomi-chan…" Kotori said.

"Hmm? But my belongings are Ericchi's belonging—and her belongings are my belongings. So…if Ericchi moves her belongings, then she will have to move mine too…" Nozomi said.

"W-what kind of logic is that…" Eli sighed,

"Remember what we promised, Ericchi? There's no more logic between us… so— we just do…" Nozomi said with her smug face,

Eli sighed heavily in her defeat,

"I understand…I understand…"

Maki and Umi smirked,

"Wow…."

"Uhhmn…uuhh….alright so—should we just go prepare everything now?" Kotori said hesitantly.

"Of course, let's go…"

* * *

The µ's ship, somewhere around Terra;

Honoka sat on the commander seat as she snacked on the toasted bread that she had made while humming a song until…

"Honoka-chaaaaan!" said a familiar voice.

"Oo! Rin-chan!" Honoka turned around,

"Hehe—! I already contacted Kayo-chin! She said, she already tried to go to my homeland—she wasn't quite sure of the thing, but she did pick up a few things that she found to be somewhat magical-nya!" Rin said.

"Ooooh! Then, we just need to wait for them to finish their business in Terra and go to earth to conduct the next research!" Honoka asked excitedly.

"Yeah-nya!" Rin replied excitedly too.

And suddenly, someone came in to the room,

"Ok, everyone, this is creepy…." Niko said.

"What is-nya?" Rin asked.

"Tsubasa told me to check if there's a space for the soldiers to park their ships, so I did and—found out that this ship has 4 slots of personal ships and 2 slots of guest ships—which is the same size as the police's personal ship and the Valkyrie's personal ship. I thought it was just a coincidence…but… as Tsubasa asked me if we have enough room for them as well…."

"….we actually do, 10 rooms, one of it is a guest room, with three single beds while the rest are single bed… then Tsubasa also asked if we have enough for the dining room— we do…. And in the similar amount except we have about three extra seats… then again, Tsubasa asked about if we have enough space for the weapon rack and armory…"

"And we do…?"

"Yes…and somehow—it was built in with the exact type of weapon and armor that everyone has…it's like they already knew the future members of this ship…" Niko said.

"Uh…what's so creepy about that though? I don't get it?" Honoka said.

"L-Look! Remember how we build this ship… it was back then before we even gather up like this… It's like Eli and Nozomi knows how we will somehow gather up!"

"Eh…? But…what if they just happen to build it for the same amount of people we had back then? I mean… Kayo-chin is not part of the research yet, right-nya? Then we somehow have enough for her too?" Rin asked.

"Actually, before we even speak about this, Tsubasa just told me that we should take Hanayo with us too due to a report of this suspicious Leyna Dilana that they haven't found yet…" Niko said.

"Euh…. Tell me again why Leyna is suspicious?" Honoka asked.

"Because she has been reported for spying on Terra's research lab! She is also abandoning her duties as a Valkyrie and went out to seek for whatever she is trying to seek! Sheesh! She is also reported for visiting the Koizumi's Inn from time to time. "

"Ehh…but, Leyna-chan is not a bad girl-nya…"

"You know her?" Niko asked.

"Yup, Leyna-chan used to live near my hometown—until she disappeared. Leyna-chan often gets sick and had to stay at home—her parents scolded her every day because of it and they wished that they never gave birth to her. People also said that she has a double personality disorder…" Rin explained.

"Huh? Double personality?"

"Yeah-nya, sometime she appears to be very kind and gentle, but then she just somehow appears to be tough and cold… it's hard to understand her-nya!"

"Doesn't that contradict with what you're saying? ….I mean, if she is a nice person, then her personality might not…" Niko said.

"Nope–I believe she is still good—its just her way of expressing herself than being different with each other-nya!"

"But… she is a Valkyrie now—does that means she is still who she is? I mean…she is emotionless right?" Honoka asked.

"Ehh? But… it doesn't matter. She just can't feel emotions… but she can still express herself… she can still smile and tell when she doesn't like something-nya…"

"Ey, Rin …this is a person with double personality disorder you're talking about….. I mean…really….? Rin? You can't trust someone like that…." Niko said.

"Eeeeehhhh! But! I really think Leyna-chan is a good person-nya!" Rin protested.

"Uh-huh—just remind me to not let her get any closer to me… she could suddenly turn into a murderer in a bat of an eye, you know…"

"That's cruel-nya! I really believe Leyna-chan is not a bad girl-nya!"

"Whatever—but—hey, Honoka, is that a message?" Niko asked as she pointed at the screen in front of the commander seat,

Honoka turned around to see it,

"Uh…yeah…?" Honoka replied as she quickly tried to take a look.

"Ohh! Yep! It's from Kotori-chan, she said, they're done with the research in Terra… so we can pick them up."

"Alright… then let's get this over with so we all can go home and relax!"

* * *

The Earth—Toujou's residence;

Hanayo carefully walked to the underground garage, unlocked the door's puzzle in a few seconds then headed towards the communication device,

She turned it on and swiftly operated the device as if she was very used to it.

After a moment….

"Hello?" Hanayo started,

"Ah—Kayo-chan! Nice timing! I was about to call you!" said a high pitched voice.

"K-Kotori-chan! This is bad!"

"W-What is?" Kotori asked.

"Rin-chan asked me to look for her family artifacts, so I did and… I found out something is very wrong…"

"What are you talking about, Kayo-chan?"

"Uh—this is just a guess—but, I think, the reason why the pirates attacked the Earth isn't simply because of wealth…. It's..uh…something else…."

"W-what?" Kotori asked, trying to listen and understand the situation better.

"I….I found out that Rin-chan's family kept a lot of secrets with them; I couldn't actually recover everything but… I feel like, this secret is related to the Endless Citadel…" Hanayo replied.

"Endless Citadel?" Kotori panicked,

"Yes… according to the information that I currently have… The Endless Citadel will land on earth in about…. 4 months… but I believe I've heard that it's no longer—…"

"W-wait a minute, Kayo-chan! Did you say, Land?"

"Yes… it's described in the artifact that the Endless Citadel will land to earth…"

"It doesn't say, crash?"

"No… it's like the endless citadel is planned to move back to earth in 4 months from now… they even have an exact place for it…" Hanayo said.

"Eh? They even pointed out the location? Where is it then?" Kotori asked.

"Uh…I'm not quite sure where, but according to my temporary research, it says…. They will land at The End of Sorrow… but I've never heard of that place—…"

"The End of Sorrow?" another voice was heard from the phone.

"Uh..Umi-chan, you know that place?" Kotori asked, taking a glance at the blue haired warrior beside her.

"No, it might be just a coincidence, but, Eli's weapon is called The End of Sorrow…" Umi spoke up,

"E-Ehhh?"

"Yes, we love our weapons, so...we name them…. mine is called Reason of Courage and Maki's weapon is called as Daring…"

"Uh… I see…it might be just a coincidence since that kind of name is not that unique…." Kotori said.

"Yes, I agree… it might just a coincidence…" Hanayo agreed over the call.

"But, maybe we can try asking. Because, for what I know, Eli often goes around to research about the Earth, perhaps the idea of her name came from the very place that we're talking about?" Umi said while in thought.

"Maybe… but—I think she is busy moving her stuff?" Kotori said

"Yes, I'm pretty busy here too, so I suppose we can try asking once we're free enough…"

"Ok!"

"T-Then, I'll look forward to it…"

* * *

The Earth's Space Police Station;

"Tsubasa, how is it? Did you find her yet?" Erena asked as she stepped into the office,

"Nope, zero result. Apparently Leyna Dilana is still absent on the list—even though they were supposed to be in the recruiting duty. That girl is really hard to predict…" Tsubasa said as she searches through her tablet.

"With her psychological disorder, she will often get lost in her way, even though she shows no sign of emotion…, that's why the Valkyries are very worried about her…" Anjuu said while tidying up documents.

"I believe she is no threat though…" Tsubasa said.

"You're thinking too positively…" Erena said.

"I can guarantee that Leyna is not going to cause any problems, even if she has a psychological disorder…"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because she is kind hearted... She has reason behind everything she does—or let's just say, she knows what she is doing…plus, she is not an Elite Valkyrie for nothing…"

"Then let's just make sure she is not lost for eternity…" Anjuu chuckled,

"Haha—sure, of course… let's find our Leyna baby and bring her back to her place."

* * *

The µ's ship;

Niko, Rin, and Honoka were busy with managing the ship data as Kotori, Nozomi, Eli, Umi, and Maki were left to work on rearranging their belongings in the room.

"Uh…this is kind of scary— the room somehow fits my favor… did someone actually predicted this already?" Maki wondered.

"I wonder who…" Nozomi chuckled,

"At first, I only wanted to add about six rooms with one leader's bedroom, but Nozomi insisted to build ten with smaller size for each and no leader's bedroom…" Eli said.

"We never had a leader—in all honesty, even though Honoka is appointed to become one— she doesn't appear to work as one…" Nozomi said.

"How do you know?" Umi asked.

"Well—it just that everything already tells me that way. Remember what that old man said, he can spy on everyone easily—that means that I can do that kind of magic too. He is my mentor after all…"

"Your Mentor?" Maki raised her eyebrow.

"Yup, he is the one who guided me to learn my magic—I was about to give up back then, you know. Since it doesn't make that much change in my life anyway… I'm glad I met him and changed that way of thinking… he is the one who encouraged me to keep learning and mastering the mind magic…"

"I thought you are a lone wolf…" Eli said.

"What? Are you disappointed that I didn't have that on my own? Trust me, I've tried at first but I swear I was close to death—and then he saved me…"

"Oh…" Eli smirked,

"Hmm…. is that a jealous smirk that I see?"

"Why would I be jealous of you being encouraged by old man that smells like a graveyard…?"

Nozomi chuckled,

"He might hear that Ericchi, anyhow, we all should take a break and prepare to work hard with the next research…" she said.

"Ah—speaking of that, I just called Kayo-chan….she found out a few interesting points that I can explain further once we're in there, but…there's also something else that I wonder about before all that…" Kotori said.

"Yes, it's about your weapon name, Eli…" Umi said.

"My weapon? What about it?" Eli asked,

"Her name is, The End of Sorrow, right?" Umi asked.

"Why, yes, her name is The End of Sorrow, I thought you already knew…"

"Yes—but, uh, do you happen to…. Hmm… take the name from somewhere else?"

Eli seemed to be taken back by surprise, but she composed herself well,

She remained quiet for a moment and gave out a strange smile,

"Not really… I just happened to want to name her that…" she replied.

Nozomi frowned,

"What's with that name, though?"

"Well..uh…once again, I can't actually explain since we just happen to hear it from Kayo-chan, but, we should drop this for a while and talk about it again later when we reach the Earth…" Kotori replied.

"Yes, it should be cleared up once we can actually see the evidence…." Umi said.

"I see…. I hope no one is going to hide anything…" Nozomi said as she squint her eyes at Eli.

"Why would anyone be?" Eli replied as she averted her eyes and continued to work on their belongings.

* * *

After a few hours,

Everyone finished with arranging their belongings, and decided to take a break as the ship sailed to earth in an extremely smooth and swift movement.

Maki decided to stay in her own room as she rested on her back and listen to some music while browsing through some of the research data. Kotori also decided to stay in her own room as she worked on a costume while Umi read a newspaper in the living room. Niko was busy cleaning the kitchen and Rin was playing a game in her tablet as she watched over the autopilot. Honoka still sitting on the commander seat, browsed around for the Earth's well known food in her tablet.

Eli also decided to stay in her room and look out through the window—watching the infinite stars glowing in bright colorful lights among the dark sky. It was all quiet until someone came into the room without knocking.

"Ericchi…" she called, Eli turned around to see her.

"Are you going to explain me about what's behind your weapon name…?"

Eli remained quiet for a moment before she chuckled and approached her lover,

"There's nothing that I hide, it's named as how she is named…"

"I don't believe you…" Nozomi replied.

Eli sighed,

"Look— that weapon, have never been changed from decades… I received it from winning a competition…"

"A competition?" Nozomi raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, a competition. It was Eir's idea to join it… it happened many years ago, even before Umi joined Terra…"

"…where is this competition to be exact?"

"It was held in the planet that I told you before, the planet with cold temperature—one with better scenery than the earth. Everyone called it as the planet Azura, but it also has a nick name—that is The Garden of Glass because of its crystal clear plants…"

"Your ship is named after that planet, huh?"

"Pretty much…"

"So when will we see this planet that you take a shine on?"

"Unfortunately, I just received information that the very planet just exploded as its atmosphere was unexpectedly broken by a strange force. Once again, Terra said that it was probably done in by the mage terrorists that lives among the space pirates… no one really expected that attack, but that was also because we're too busy with the other pirate attacks in another planet…"

"My…so while everyone was busy with the detected pirate attack, they attacked another planet?"

"Yes—those damned pirates surely know how to invade…but damn, that planet could've made a good ally as they have plenty of medicines that said to be able to cure most diseases. Now that it's destroyed, we can only depend on the Alaistair to help us to counter the Bio-weapon…"

"Mm…Bio Weapon, huh? How do you know about that?"

"The pirates always use them in their massive attack. They don't care about a planet's health— because they live in their own big ship and capable of producing their own food, just like Terra. Or actually, to begin with, their mother ship is the prototype of Terra which upgraded by themselves—and by two technologies too…"

"That's troublesome, any idea about where they are? Maybe we can make a raid or something?"

"Their mother ship has already gone missing from seven years ago after their very last massive attack. No one knows where they actually are but we believe that if we are able to detect their current position, then we can surely capture them and end their actions…"

"Hmm…is it possible that they're in a stealth mode? Just like the technology that Maki-chan owns?"

"Maybe, but if that is what happened, then they probably spend their fuel ten times faster than Terra…."

"You said they have two technologies, what if they're using the infinite system that we own?"

Eli was surprised as she heard it,

"You're right…. then they probably will never worry about fuel…. I've thought that before…" Eli replied.

"Have you offered that to Terra so that they can match their technology?"

Eli shook her head,

"I haven't…because the last time I offered blueprints, the weapon that I wanted to make for ourselves, they rejected it–they said they don't want us to be corrupted by the magic technology, but thanks to their weak system, I managed to hack the robots to create the parts for myself…"

"It's funny that even though your place is clearly a place with advanced technology, people can still easily hack into the system…I thought they depend on that a lot or at least that's what I see…"

"Yeah—and too much depending on it… until they forgot that they are still a system that everyone can learn… they always think the technology can secure themselves against what created them…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Then I guess they're no different than ours… we depend on our power too much—and to our nature as well until we forget that even though nature can grow themselves, they still can't protect themselves from who are capable of ruining them…"

Eli smiled at her before she touched her shoulder,

"Funny that we said different things back then…" she whispered

"Yup, funny that we're now talking bad about what we used to be proud of…."

"Proud of? I don't ever remember being proud of myself—nor my technology…" Eli said as she leaned closer to her lover,

"You never….?"

"Nope… besides, why should I be proud of it if the fact said that a magical one like you is a lot more beautiful….?"

Nozomi smiled,

"You're flirting with me, aren't you?"

"Maybe I'm just saying the truth…. I mean, look at you—…." the blonde moved closer and closer as she gently pushed Nozomi against the wall,

"—you have a beautiful skin…" she continued as she trailed her fingers against her cheeks.

"…and smooth, silky hair…." She ran her hands through her purple hair—slowly moving down to her breast and carefully massaging it.

"…not to forget about my favorite part…." Eli smiled playfully before she kissed her neck gently.

"You're in the mood…." The other woman whispered with a slight blush on her face,

And without any doubt, the blonde soldier pressed her lips against her lover's—enjoying every second of warmth that spread across her face. Though just as they thought they could enjoy their private moment….

"Waaaaaaaaa!" A loud shout came along with a loud bang of their door opened.

"H-Honoka-chan!" Nozomi said in surprise.

"I forgot to tell you!" she said.

Eli raised her brow,

"Tell what?"

"You see…. uh… Tsubasa-chan installed cameras in every room—including this one…" Honoka pointed to the camera on the ceiling, Eli and Nozomi turned their sight up,

"So..uh—if you two do that here…."

"Wait now, why did she install the cameras?!"

"To prevent more thieveries…"

"Thievery? Why not just use the lock?" Nozomi asked.

"Eh, we did… but it just keeps happening…"

"What kind of thing has been stolen anyway?" Eli asked.

"Uhm...mostly, food…" Honoka said.

"Food….? Who will steal food, huh?" Eli asked.

"I-I don't know!" Honoka replied with a hint of nervousness in her face.

Eli and Nozomi both smirked as they squint their eyes at the ginger.

"Anyway! I was just here to warn you about the camera!"

"Yup, thanks for the heads up…" Nozomi said—somewhat sarcastically.

"We will make sure to watch it and…also find the food thief…"

"W-whoah! T-T-That would be nice!" Honoka said as she averted her eyes,

Nozomi and Eli glanced at each other then back to the nervous ginger haired girl.

"B-Bye!" Honoka said as she quickly ran out the room.

The two remained quiet for a moment before they turned to the camera once more.

"Ericchi…. do you think we should just shut this one off?"

"Well, the reason why they installed it is sort of stupid… but I say let's not. It might come in handy later…"

"Then, we can stick something to prevent the camera from recording us?"

"Yup, that's probably the best thing to do… just don't forget to take it off once we're done. Alright?"

Nozomi chuckled in response.

"Certainly…."

* * *

On the other side of the ship;

Maki remained in silence inside her own room—until she started to feel agitated. She swore she felt her stomach grumbling, thanks to the research that occupied her from this very morning.

"Heh—wonder what they have in the kitchen…" she stood up and….

"W-whoa?!" the ground beneath her felt weird as though she was standing on something other than the ships surface—or someone…

"Ny-nyaaaa!" Rin quickly moved.

"R-Rin! What are you doing here?!"

"I got too bored with my games and…. My shift to watch the auto pilot is over—it's Niko-chan's turn now-nya!" Rin said.

"Oh…but, why are you here? You could've just gone to take a break or something…" Maki said.

"I told you, I'm bored-nya!" Rin said again.

Maki smirked,

"What do you want me to do?! Sheesh…" she said.

"Entertain me-nya! Like, tell me a story or something! It's been a while for me to not hear Maki-chan's story…"

"W-what…?"

"Uh…Maki-chan should tell me about…. Uhm..anything-nya! I just want to hear Maki-chan's story!"

"E-Ehh?! Uhm…well, what about the research? Are you interested in listening about that?"

"Nope, I already heard that from Niko-chan nya…"

"Then…uh...what about the duck story?"

"Duck story?"

"Yeah...Hmm...it's not quite something that you might like to hear as an adult, but, I used to hear it as kid…"

"Ohh! Then please tell me-nya!"

Maki nodded…

"Hold on…"

She quickly made a motion on her tablet—searching for a music file and…

"Bum-Bum-Bum-badum-badum— A duck walked up to a lemonade stand and he said to the man, running the stand…"

Maki started to sing along with the childish guitar song that came out of her tablet,

"Hey!"

Rin surprised as Maki did it in a cheerful voice,

"Bum-Bum-Bum! Got any grapes?!" she continued with a somewhat playful glance,

Rin giggled,

"…and the man said—No, we just sell lemonade, but it's cold, it's fresh, and it's all homemade! Can I get you a glass?"

"The Duck said, I'll pass…"

"Then he waddled away—Waddle-waddle! 'Til the very next day…"

She playfully nodded to Rin,

"Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Badum.."

"The Duck walked up to the lemonade stand and he said to the man running the stand!" she repeated the same playful tone again,

"Hey! Bum-Bum-Bum…. Got any Grapes?!"

Rin giggled again as Maki continued,

"…and the man said—No, like I said yesterday, we just sell lemonade, Ok? Why not give it a try?"

Maki playfully continued,

"The duck said—Goodbye!"

Maki playfully waved while Rin laughed again,

"Then he waddled away—waddle-waddle!"

"Then he waddled away—!"

And Rin joined to sing,

"Waddle-waddle-nya!"

"Then he waddled away!

"waddle-waddle!" they sang together,

"'Till the very next day! Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Badum!" they continued,

They let the song play for a moment as they let out giggles.

"When the duck walked up to the lemonade stand and he said to the man, running the stand!"

"Hey!" Rin shouted loudly.

"Bum-Bum-Bum…" Maki chuckled,

"Got any grapes?!" Rin shouted again playfully.

"The man said—Look! This is getting old! I mean, Lemonade is all we ever sold, why not give it a go?"

"…the duck said—How about no?" Maki sang playfully,

Rin laughed again,

"Then he waddled away!"

"Waddle-waddle!" Rin playfully sing along again,

"Then he waddled away!"

"Waddle-waddle-waddle!"

"Then he waddled away!

"Waddle-waddle!"

"Till the very next day! Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Badum!"

Rin laughed again as she saw how playful Maki's smile was.

The song kept going, then after a while, Maki continued again,

"When the duck walk up to the lemonade stand, and he said to the man, running the stand!"

"Hey! Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum!"

"Got any grapes?!"

"The man said— THAT'S IT!" Maki pretend to snap,

"If you don't stay away duck, I'll glue you to a tree and leave you there all day—Stuck!"

She pointed to the air,

"So don't get too close!"

"…the duck said–Adios!"

"Then he waddled away!" This time Rin started it first,

"Waddle-waddle!"

"Then he waddled away!"

"Waddle-waddle-waddle!"

"Then he waddled away!"

"Waddle-waddle!"

"Till the very next day! Bum-bum-bum-bum-bum-badum!" they sang together again.

"When the duck walked up to the lemonade stand and he said to the man running the stand!"

"Hey!" Rin raised both of her hands,

"Bum-Bum-Bum!" they sang together,

"Got any glue?" Maki winked playfully,

"E-Eh? What?" Rin flustered,

"Got any glue—?" Maki asked again,

Rin tilts her head

"No, why would he—Oh!" she realized something.

"—And one more question for you!"

"Oooh!" Rin claps her hand in enthusiast,

"Got any grapes? Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum-Bum!" Maki smiled playfully.

"Ahaha! That's annoying duck-nya! What happen next?" Rin laughed,

"The man just stopped, and he started to smile. He started to laugh, He laugh for a while! He said— come on duck! Let's walk to the store, I'll buy you some grapes, so you don't have to ask anymore!" Maki continued,

"Oohh! That's a kind man-nya!" Rin commented,

"So they walked to the store and the man bought some grapes. He gave one to the duck and the duck said—Hmmm…no thanks!"

"Eeehh!? But he asked for grapes before!"

"But do you know what sounds good? It would make my day!"

"W-what sounds good-nya?" Rin asked again.

"Do you think this store…."

Rin stay quiet to listen,

"Do you think this store…."

Rin clenched her fist in enthusiasm,

"Do you think this store…has any….LEMONADE?"

"W-what? I'll roast that duck-nya!"

Maki chuckled,

"Then he waddled away!"

"Waddle-waddle!" Rin cheerfully responded.

"Then he waddle away!"

"Waddle-waddle-waddle!

"Till the very next day!"

And the song faded.

Maki and Rin laughed together.

"That was funny though-nya!" Rin said.

"Heh—I know, that's why I said I love that song as kid. To be honest, I may have never thought about it…. but, I think, as I grow up, I began to realize that duck song taught me something…" Maki said.

"Ehh…? What is it-nya?"

"Well, you see… the man sells lemonade, but the duck keep asking him grape… then from days to days, the duck keep returning and asking for grape until the man got enough and threatened him with glue—which doesn't actually stop the duck from asking for grape… then he realized that perhaps he should get a grape to make him stop— but then the duck ask for lemonade which he had before…"

"Uh…what's the actual lesson-nya?"

"It's how the society works— you offer what you have, then someone ask what you don't have—and they will keep asking for it until at some point you decided to give out what they wanted—but then they will ask what you used to have, and I believe, no matter how it is, they will keep asking for what you don't have… you can be like the man who left his stand to get the duck grapes, but you can also be someone who prepared the grape at the next day in your stand…"

"Oohh! So it's like trying to get what you don't have but don't leave your ground?"

"Pretty much…"

"Is that your own song-nya?"

"No, it's made by Bryant Oden…"

"Then, did he make it that way on purpose-nya?" Rin asked.

"I don't know, but hey, that's what I learned, so….he doesn't have to make it for that purpose. He could've just made it for fun or for the laughs. It's a children song after all…"

"That's true-nya!"

"Yup—so… is that enough?" Maki asked,

"Hehe-yup! Maki-chan is so cool! Maki-chan is a great actor too-nya!"

Maki blushed as she heard it,

"H-hey, I just did that because you're asking for it…ok?"

"I know-nya! I love Maki-chan-nya!"

"W-whaa?!" Maki blushed madly.

"T-there… you see, it's not like it's only for you or anything, if Hanayo or Niko ask for that, I'd probably do the same!" she continued in panic.

"Ooo! So, does that mean, they're my rivals-nya?"

"O-Oi! R-Rin!" Maki flustered.

"Hehehe—! Don't worry, Maki-chan! I don't mind to share-nya!"

"W-what?! We're just friends, right?!"

"Yup, what do you think we are-nya?"

"Y-You made it sounds like—…"

And before Maki able to finish her words,

"Oooii! Rinnn!" a voice started calling from outside.

"Ah! Niko-chan!" Rin quickly ran out of the room.

Maki sighed in relieve.

"Sheesh—why does she have to tease me like that…"

* * *

At the other room;

As the blonde pushes the purple haired woman onto the bed—she kissed her neck and explored her body lustfully. With the room heater on, their bodies began to sweat and give out a scent that they both love from each other. It's like the smell that never fails to turn them on.

They both knew that lately, they've been doing it too much, though the addiction can't be resisted. Nozomi started to lock her legs around Eli's hips, pressing her waist deep to her groin as their core touched each other–rubbing as it got more and more intense.

Blue eyes caught a glimpse of her favorite part—which made the most attractive motion for her, she aggressively grabbed them and began to lick the pink tips—enjoying every stroke without a single doubt.

"I think I'll be at my limit…" the blonde said between her breathes,

"No…" the other woman quickly moved and pushed her lover—then pressing her lips to hers.

"Don't go out yet…" she said before she once again paused for a passionate kiss. Turquoise eyes glanced at the muscular feature of her mate—she decided to flip their positions on the bed, pushing down down the blonde as the latter started to kiss her muscular belly, licking and brushing her fingers against the legs that she held. Then carefully, climbed up to her body and placed her groin on top of the blonde's face….

"Me first…" she smiled mischievously which responded with the same smile. Eli grabs both of her legs with her strong arms and deepened herself to reach the hollow— penetrating with her tongue and playfully exploring its depths as she heard the voice she loves, moan in pleasure.

"Ah—Ah! I'm going out now!" Nozomi said as she gripped on the metallic arm of her lover,

Then as the tongue hasten up its play,

"Aah! That's…. That's it….!" she said as the hot liquid came out of both of them.

"I'm done too… you're doing great, honey…" the blonde said,

"Mhmh… Ericchi is doing great today too … I think the satisfaction would last for a day— and I'm sure I can start focusing on the research once everyone is ready…"

"What do you want to do meanwhile?"

"Mm…snuggle? I would like to have a snuggle time with Ericchi—and I think we should raise the temperature for a bit since we won't be doing anything by then…"

"Do you want to use a blanket as well?"

"Yup, would be nice… maybe it will help to clean up each other as well?"

"Alright…." Eli said as she grabbed a blanket from the drawer under the bed. She spread out the blanket and rested behind her lover, hugging the purple haired girl against her naked body as they still continued to fill each other with gentle kisses.

"So…" Nozomi paused as their lips touched,

"How are you today, darling?" she continued.

"About me and the research?"

"No… about you as yourself. I know you're doing well on the research…"

"Don't you already know how happy I am right now to have you?"

"Is it because you can satisfy your desire on me?"

"No—it's because I have such an understanding and caring girlfriend like you, even though you're such a big spender…"

"I spend nothing, you do the spending—you're the big spender…" Nozomi chuckled,

Eli smirked before she playfully licked Nozomi's neck to cause a tickle effect.

"T-There! Ericchi! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

She giggled,

"But seriously though, you should deal with that, I'm trying to focus everything to the research…. Then after that—I promise I'll be using my own money…."

"Honestly, I don't mind… I'll be staying in your house once I graduate anyway…"

"So you're really fixed that you'll be staying with me once you graduate? I mean—no more changing your mind?"

"Yes… of course….there's a lot more people who can do the job….like… Eir…"

"Can she really handle your job?"

"Of course—but hey now, why are you giving me doubt, aren't you the one who wanted me to stop carrying the whole world burden?"

"Maybe it's because I don't want you to completely let go of that job…"

"Sheesh… then what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know… maybe you can just invent a home that allows both of us to stay together while doing our job?"

"Like this ship? We can use something like that…"

"Mmm… Ericchi, want to join the police?"

"No… I don't want to join the police—too close with the Valkyrie…"

"Why? The Valkyries seems to be a decent group…"

"The Elite Valkyrie is…. but the Valkyries… most of them are arrogant, who act like they're the true servant of God, in fact they're still a group of apprentice… no wonder the Elite Valkyries only recruit a small amount of them every year— they just don't want to have arrogant members tainting the decent name."

"Hmm...is that why you don't want to join them?"

"Yes…. I don't want to spend my time to train with people like them… the Elite Valkyries are not bound to the Valhalla Soldiers—The Einhenjars too are a bunch of people who acts like they're the dare devils…. While in fact, they're all still running away for their dear life…"

"I get a feeling that you just want to prevent me from being impressed by Eir— your rival… but hey now, I've been working with that organization for a while, remember?"

Eli blushed slightly as she frowned and averted her eyes,

"Eir is just part of the reason… the other part is because I want you to know that I think the Valhalla soldiers are a pathetic organization that are trying too hard to be like the real Valkyries…" she replied.

"There's nothing wrong with that, right? They're trying to help make peace…"

"Yes. Nothing wrong with it, until they started to forget who they truly are…"

"Are you bitter?"

"No way—why would I feel bitter, I told you I don't want to be like any of them! I just want to be free and that's about it…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Just trying to make sure, Ericchi, don't be angry in our snuggly time…"

"You brought the topic up…" Eli pouts.

The purple haired girl chuckled again,

"Pardon me for doing that—but I just want to know if you still hate her and they who are related to her… now let's talk about something better…like… your family?"

"What do you want to know about them…?" Eli asked.

"What will you do when you get to see them?"

"I just want to make sure they're fine… I don't plan to see them face to face…"

"Hmm…you can't face them?"

"No…"

They both remain quiet for a moment,

"How do you know they're doing fine if you don't get to know them, they might look fine but they might be hiding their burdens…. I mean—look, you can't judge a book by its cover… you won't know what they're dealing with if you don't talk to them…" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed,

"What if they reject me? You know how terrible I look now…I mean, look at my right arm!"

She said as she lifted up her metal right arm,

"What are you talking about… you just can't be who they want you to be… they won't reject you…I'm very sure of it… you're still their family after all, right?"

The Blonde let out another sigh,

"Why are you so sure about it…"

"Because my card said so… You have a bright future—and my cards are never wrong. Not in my career history as a fortune teller…"

Eli smirked, and then once again, she let out a heavy breath…

"I thought you're a teacher…" she said mockingly,

"Yes, I'm a teacher, an engineer, and a fortune teller, how good is that, huh?"

The blonde chuckled and let out a playful smile.

"Don't forget a molester…" she said teasingly.

"Molester?! Does Ericchi want to be molested?!"

Eli chuckled,

"Only if it tickles…"

Nozomi puffed up her cheek and she quickly turned around and grabs both of her lover's breast—then squeeze it real hard.

"Washi-Washi-Washi-Washi!"

"Wh-whoa!" Eli tried to retort as she chuckled,

"You asked for it—Ericchi!" the playful girl kept squeezing her again and again,

"I didn't ask for—Hey! There! That hurts!" the blonde struggled between her laughter.

"Raaawwrr! I'm Toujou Nozomi the Molester!"

"No-Nozomi!"

* * *

The Earth, Koizumi's Inn;

The workers busied themselves with moving the artifacts from the Inn to Nozomi's house under Hanayo's watch, while some were still under the cleaning and identification process.

"Koizumi-san, the archeologist wanted to meet up with you… she said she has a specific thing that she needs to explain…" one of the worker said as he approached Hanayo who has been writing on her desk.

"Oh? Then, let her in…"

The worker nodded and quickly moved out to call the archeologist….

As the door opened once more— a young blonde woman walked in. She wore a pale ivory shirt, with a pair of long dark brown jeans and an archeologist hat.

"Sorry for taking your time…" said the blonde,

"Oh—don't worry about it…" Hanayo smiled sweetly.

"Hehe, my name is Alisa, thanks for accepting my request to support this research…"

"Ah—No, I should be the one to say that. I don't know many archeologists, so to get one is a big blessing for me…"

"Oh… then, I'm glad!"

"Yup, hehe, by the way, what is it that you want to say?"

"Ah—well I would like to request a full cooperation…due to the founding that I received. It might be related to what happened to my sister…and…I want to put an end to it…"

"To…what happened to your sister?"

Alisa nodded,

"Yes, my sister, we had to let her be euthanized to stop her from suffering the taint from the well-known curse… the last thing we don't want to see is for her to turn into a berserker… to see her last condition wounded my family terribly and we…. well… we just happen to move from where we were… leaving everything behind for the better… but I know that's not going to put any of our mind at ease… we want to help your research so we can also put an end to it…"

"Ah… I…I feel bad to your sister… did she get to say good bye?"

"No… when she returned from the battlefield, she was already close to death—a part of her body was missing… there's no way for her to survive that… and we don't believe any miracle could save her… even the Nishikino clinic with the most advanced technology couldn't save her that time…"

"Nishikino clinic? Then, do you all happen to know Nishikino Maki?"

"Uhm…no…. i don't…."

"Then… uh… you might be talking about the Nishikino clinic that was built on earth…"

Alisa remained quiet for a moment, and then she averted her eyes,

"Yes…. The one that used magic technology…."

"We've never had a contact with the outer world… the war was the one against the pirate six years ago…"

Hanayo raised her eyebrow,

"I don't remember the pirates attacking six years ago…"

Alisa smiled faintly,

"Hehe, the world is a big place, maybe no one mentioned it in any media… but I suppose I can say, it was a small invasion—too small to be mentioned… and my sister was just having a bad luck that time…"

"I see... that's really bad for her, I'm sorry…." Hanayo said with a look of sympathy.

"Yup, hehe, that's alright… as long as I can get the permission to give full support, then I'll feel better for her…."

"Oh! Right! Well, I'll give you the permission to do full support, but I hope you don't mind to work with the space police—because we just happen to have them as our main support…"

"That's fine, I already know you will have them around, because after all, the artifact itself is also owned by the family of one of them, right? All I want is to uncover the mystery and stop the curse from tainting anyone else… it's really a troublesome curse… right?"

"Yep—no magic can purify it and no medicine can cure it… it's really a troublesome one…"

"Then—I'll go back to town to get my tools and to inform my parents as well, is that fine for you?"

"Yup, I'll tell them that we have your support. I'll see you later, Alisa…!"

* * *

**Ok, That's it. See you in next chapter! It will take a while again. Sowwy!**


	25. To Meet you Again

**Ok, here is next chapter. Again Sorry for delay.**

**Thanks for the reviews/comment/follows!**

**Also thanks for the kind words and also the complain! I like them!**

**I'm not Spanish btw. lol. I can't talk Spanish but thanks for google translate. I'll appreciate your effort to write reviews though. **

* * *

After a few days,

They managed to land on earth and park their ship near the farmland that Hanayo owned and continued their research occasionally in the ship and in the underground garage that Nozomi owns. As Nozomi and Kotori went out to do their research with the help of the police, the three soldiers and Rin decided to stay in the garage to arrange the current progress.

"The best thing about the earth is— we don't have to stick around wearing the tight rubber suit all day…" Maki said.

"I agree. I really like wearing the clothes Kotori gave to me…" Umi nodded in agreement.

"I have to agree as well, living on earth is a lot more pleasant than Terra— the feeling of taking an actual bath totally beats the feeling of getting cleaned by the hygiene waves…" Eli added.

"Only because you like taking a bath with a certain someone…" Maki smirked,

"That's just a plus point, but really, don't you enjoy taking a bath with water?"

"I do…. But I hate it because someone might see me naked while I'm at it…" Maki replied.

"That's why you have a door-lock-nya!" Rin said.

"I keep forgetting it since I'm still not very used to it. With hygiene wave, we never take off our clothes and we can take a bath anywhere…even in public places…"

"It's true that it also takes less time, but there's an art of the beauty itself as we take a bath, no? Just like, what shampoo we're going to use today?" Umi asked.

"Umi… are you just….simply starting to use them as well?"

"Yes. Kotori suggested me to try a lot of products—they have a lot of different smells as well! It's amazing that our hair can smell different everyday…" Umi replied innocently.

"Wow…Umi….. I thought warriors are supposed to smell like sweat…"

"Ooooh! Don't tell me, Maki-chan, you don't use shampoo?!" Rin asked.

"W-why would I? I don't need them!" Maki blushed madly—but as she recoiled in her denial, Eli caught her from behind and began to smell her hair before the red-head quickly shoved her away.

"H-Hey! Eli! I thought we agreed to never touch each other!"

"I'm just trying to confirm something—and… you lied about not using shampoo, right? I can smell herbal essence on your hair…" Eli smiled teasingly.

"I—I was just trying!" Maki retorted.

"Whoaah! Herbal Essence! That's Kayo-chin's shampoo-nya!"

"Nozomi also uses the same one… that's how I noticed the scent…" Eli said.

"Kotori is using the same shampoo as well, she said because it's easiest to get around…. "

"Hehe, that because the herbal shampoo is one of Kayo-chin's product-nya!"

"Now that you mention about that, how successful is Hanayo….?" Maki asked.

"Uhm…well, she is very successful, if you ask me… but also very generous as well and—most of her wealth is donated to the orphanage and schools-nya…then now part of it is used for this research too. She said, she hired an archeologist to help with the study of each artifacts-nya…"

"Archeologist? That's nice. I hope it can speed up the process… because I do think we're being a little too slow…" Eli said.

"Ehehe! I hope so-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"But, I wonder if it's fine to let the archeologist know about what we're up to? I mean… I thought we're supposed to stay low with this case…" Umi asked.

"The Archeologist said, she wanted to avenge her sister's death— which is related to the curse-nya… I'm not quite sure how much she knows about it, but Kayo-chin said, she met her on the day she went to pick up the artifacts. She said she has been wandering around the site herself… and knowing that Kayo-chin has a relation with me as the owner of the artifact, she went in and asked for permission to give full cooperation…"

"I thought she was hired?" Eli raised her eyebrow.

"Ehehe… at first, the archeologist wanted to help out for free, but Kayo-chin didn't want that to happen so she said she would hire her instead-nya…" Rin replied.

"That's nice of her… then I suppose we can get to know this archeologist…" Eli said.

"Yup! Hehe… she supposed to be coming this afternoon, so I guess we can work faster and present the matter to her-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Heh— I guess you're right… let's work faster…" Maki said.

And they continued to work again.

* * *

The School of Magic—Library;

Nozomi and Kotori returned to the school to try out researching in the Library, thankfully they were still allowed to use the service which allowed them to go to the depths of the Library. As Kotori searched through the book cases along with Niko and Honoka, Nozomi decided to walk around the journal corner near a big old tree and a few round saplings that were wandering around the area to clean up any mess left behind.

Suddenly, the old tree showed his face— a face of a wise old man on his log with a pair of hollow eyes and wooden skin.

"Toujou Nozomi….." he called.

Nozomi chuckled,

"What's up, old man, I'm busy…" she replied with her back turned.

"You're still disrespectful against me! I am no man but a tree!" he replied.

"And you're still as funny as ever, what made you call me at this time? I hope it's nothing like fetching a bucket of water for you…"

"No…look, woman, I'm trying to warn you—that you might have overseen an aspect in your life…" he said.

"Me? Oversee an aspect in my life? Then I might as well have overseen it… there's nothing better than challenging the future…right?" she replied.

"This aspect—might be what you call as a future… a future that you crafted alongside with your change… then also an aspect that you rooted for…." He said.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow,

"What is this aspect to be exact…?"

"It's related to the golden sun and the light blue sky— it is not a pair of heart but a hanged man…"

"You're talking about Ericchi…right?" The mage crossed her arms before she turned to the tree outside the window.

"Yes…."

"Well, the first card doesn't matter. The Second card is… because even though the truth said that she has a horrible future, I'll try to give her as much support as I can. So when the second card told me that she has a bright future, then I believe she will get over it and jump to the second card with me…"

"This is why I tell you that you've overseen the aspect… The hanged man is not always mean an undecided future…"

"The other one is about self-sacrificial… I know that, I'll stop her and put her into the path to the second card… easy enough, right?"

"The second card doesn't matter if the first means the end…"

"I told you I'll put her into the second card… and there will be nothing that makes her trying to sacrifice herself… just look at her—she is also a selfish bastard like me, you know… and plus— we believe that everyone will make it out alive…"

"Why are you so worked up with the dumbest thing humans make? You can always just destroy the giant ships to stop it from moving…"

"You mean, crashing Terra into it? No way, that's a home for many…."

"I said, the giant ships, not a damn ship…"

"Old man, you're being funny again… there's nothing that—wait…. Are you saying that you can see a lot of ships around that Endless Citadel?" Nozomi asked,

"A bunch of parrot tamer and their cradle… working out in stealth to land the dumbest thing human ever made back to where it was born…but that doesn't matter because they will destroy themselves by then—whats more important is the golden sun and the light blue sky, because it is whats more important to your life…."

Nozomi remain quiet for a moment,

"Can you explain to me what exactly the things that I have overseen?" she asked.

"Might I have been dreaming to hear you saying that you'll listen to me?"

"Let's just say that, but nothing wrong with enjoying your sweet dream, right?"

"Wise words— this must be a real dream… so before I awake, I want to tell you that… you'll have to fight the world to protect the golden sun and the blue sky, you have to create the impossible and you have to finish a song of love to resurrect the vessel in the end of ordinary sorrow…"

"In the end of ordinary sorrow you say? Where is this place to be exact? I keep hearing about that for a while…"

"The end of ordinary sorrow is placed at the north of the end of sorrow… if you want to know further—you have to return and meet up with the archeologist, relative of the golden sun and light blue sky, she can explain you about almost everything…"

"Too lazy to tell me from your own mouth, huh? What an old man…" Nozomi said with a mocking smile.

"Silence! That is all I want to say… now please leave me be so I can wake up from this sweet dream that turns bitter…"

"Alright, but you know what? Before your sweet dream is over, let me tell you something…. thank you…" she said before she quickly moved out from the library. The Old tree smirked and turned away before his face faded away.

* * *

The Village—earth;

A truck arrived in the village, with a pile of tools packed neatly as a woman with pale blonde hair stepped down from the truck—she is in her leather jacket, boots, white cotton shirt, and brown trouser.

Hanayo quickly ran out of the Inn along with a few workers with her,

"Ah! Alisa! Welcome back!" Hanayo greeted,

"Hehe, thank you…" Alisa replied sweetly. The workers quickly move to the truck to unload the tools.

"Hanayo-san, where's the team you were talking about?" Alisa asked.

"Oh, they happen to be in the underground garage, some of the others went out to school to do research..."

"Ah, I see, then I suppose they'll be waiting for me as well… why don't we go and meet up with them?" Alisa asked.

"Sure! Please follow me!" Hanayo replied as she beckoned Alisa to follow her into Nozomi's house.

As Alisa entered the house with Hanayo…

"Ah, this house is really neat… and the arrangement, somewhat reminds me of something in the past…." Alisa said.

"Oh?" Hanayo raised her eyebrow—showing her interest to press an explanation.

"Hehe, well, here I see two sofas on the corner, a coffee table and an end table, then a picture of white lilies in front of them and a picture of the glass garden on the other side… my sister always told me she wanted a living room that looks like that. She said—because it reminds her of the most beautiful planet she ever seen as child…"

"Eh…? That sounds like she lives in another planet than the earth as a child and wanted to have the earth's view in her living room…."

Alisa averted her eyes,

"Hehe— well, she is a silly girl… she doesn't know that we can always go out and plant one if she wanted to see them…" she said.

"Ah…"

"Because my sister is brilliant in almost every study, everyone always praises her and calls her clever and cute… without them realizing, they also have turned her into someone who always wants to take responsibility and help out everyone…"

"Well— at least she isn't becoming arrogant…."

"Arrogant? Well, she was until she experienced something that she calls as failure… she realized that she has been too blinded with everyone's compliment and forgot that she can fail as a human…. I hoped that she wouldn't take that one too far, but— she did and…she always thought bad about herself... she is…no longer seeing any of her achievement as success but nothing… I suppose it's one of her ways to prevent herself from going through the same pain as she fell for the very first time…"

"So...she always thinks herself as a failure…?"

"Yes….and…. she always stays quiet about everything… then… there was also a day where she was about to confess to someone that she really liked—I read her confession practice letter which stated that… she is nothing but a soldier, but she wished to become someone for that specific person…"

"Oh…. did she make it with that?"

"No… that was also the day when she died… I don't know what happen to the confession… we just…. moved out as we saw her body… we didn't want to live in a place where someone very special to us died in such a terrible condition… my father is the one who insisted about it… he is the one suffered the most in our family— because he really loved my sister… she was like his dearest reason to live…"

"He still has you now…"

"I don't think he will ever see me like how he sees her… I'm not a brilliant engineer and great fighter at the same time, I don't have my sister's beauty and I don't have a fast, sharp thinking like her either… she was almost a perfect human being…. It's only bad luck that caused her to stop breathing…"

"Oh…."

"Hehe, it's painful to remember her sometime, but I like to talk about her— almost everything about her…. because I really love her as well… I want the world to know that she is really someone special…I want more people to appreciate her…"

"Then—let's talk more about her…" Hanayo smiled before they continued to walk and now to the kitchen…"

"Ah—this kitchen too is almost like what she wanted to have if she had ever owned a house… a set of utensils and semi-cyber stoves… because I'm not that good with cooking while she loves to cook with a traditional stove, she wanted to set it up with semi-cyber engine so that we both can use it… she created this model a lot back in her teen years…"

"Wow, she extremely brilliant then…"

"Yup, she is…" Alisa smiled before once again they continued to walk. Alisa kept looking around in amazement of the neatness of the home itself—even though it's a little dusty at some parts, she really felt comfortable in the very building.

"It's scary that almost everything is so close to what my sister wanted in her own house…" Alisa said.

"Hehe… then maybe there's a person that you might want to meet. This house is re-arranged by the owner's girlfriend… she is one of the team members that you're going to meet… I'll let you and her have your own introduction…" Hanayo replied.

"I'm looking forward to that…" Alisa replied again cheerfully.

They kept walking quietly until they reached the underground garage's door. Hanayo quickly solved the puzzles and carefully opened the door of the garage to see Umi, Maki, and Rin sitting around together as they kept their eyes on the machine…

"Everyone— here is the Archeologist that I was talking about…" Hanayo said,

Maki, Umi and Rin turned around to her,

"Oh! Hi! Uh…. what's your name-nya?" Rin asked.

"Alisa…. Ayase Alisa…" the short girl replied.

Everyone shared the look of surprise as they heard her spoken name, though they decided to be just looking at each other quietly.

"A-Anything wrong with that name?" Alisa asked.

"No…it's nothing-nya! We just happen to have another person with the Ayase name-nya!" Rin replied.

"Oh! What a coincidence! Hehe… it must be pretty popular…" Alisa replied.

"True, it's too bad that you two can't meet up right now, her girlfriend called her to pick her up at school…" Umi said.

"Ah—yeah, they should be back soon though, I think I heard her girlfriend say that she wanted to meet up with you to ask a few questions…" Maki said.

"I…I see….but anyway, may I know your names as well?" Alisa asked.

"Sure… I'm Nishikino Maki…"

"I'm Hoshizora Rin!"

"My name is Sonoda Umi…"

Alisa seems to bewildered for a moment, though she shook her head in denial,

"W-what's wrong?"

"Ah–ahaha, sorry, I just feel like I've heard those name before, but… never mind!" Alisa hesitantly said as she used a finger to lightly scratch her cheek.

The three seems to be showing up a slight suspicion though they decided to keep quiet about it for now.

* * *

The School of Magic—parking lot;

Eli, wearing her black trouser, white shirt and leather boots—on a steam bike waited for the purple haired girl to come closer. As the two are no further than a meter away,

"You came here with your horse, right, why did you call me to pick you up?" Eli asked.

"Because that horse is going to stay here, Kotori-chan and the others haven't finished with the research. Kotori-chan also said that it will take long to do so…"

"Who's going to ride your horse? I don't believe you'll leave Niko to it…" Eli said.

"Anyone can ride him, don't worry. He is a lot more clever and understanding than what you thought him to be…"

"Alright, I'll bite that…"

"How about the archeologist?"

"I don't know yet, you called me before the archeologist arrived…"

"That's good; I hope we can prepare some kind of warm greeting…"

Eli sighed,

"Just don't be too strange, ok? You're back on earth so there's no point of you trying to act cute…"

"What if the archeologist doesn't know me? I might as well make the cute Image…"

"Doesn't matter— just stick with what you are…"

"What if I'm actually a cute person?"

Eli remain quiet for a moment,

"Well… you are cute for me… but you don't have to exaggerate it…"

"You're just being a spoilsport…"

"Whatever, just get on the bike and let's go see if we can meet up with this archeologist by the time we get there…"

* * *

The School of Magic—Library;

Kotori carefully read through the books as the others worked on matching the notes that Kotori wrote with the text that they printed after a few researches.

"Sometimes I wonder, why do they have to make things so complicated…" Niko complained.

"Hmm…to make it hard?" Honoka asked innocently.

"But why do they have to make it hard? I mean, like… we're doing something good, they could've made it a lot easier…"

"Uhm..true…"

"I think it's because they also want to make it hard to understand for they who're trying to harm— I mean, if the enemy knows that they will be countered, they will try to make another counter strategy, right?" Kotori said.

"Heh— you're right… then maybe they should've really make things a lot easier for us…"

"To begin with, what makes this important and why do we have to do it…? What makes it related to the Endless Citadel? I don't get it…" Honoka said.

"We are brushing aside the pirate problem… I'm worried but, I guess, Tsubasa and the others can take care of them…."

"Can they really? I mean, Tsubasa-chan told me that she still couldn't find Leyna—but I really don't think finding her is important…" Honoka said in doubt.

"Now-now, aren't you just worried about her?"

"Of course I'm worried, Tsubasa-chan has never been so determined on doing something… so when she is—that must be something important for her…"

"Heh—we know that, but I don't see anything that we need to be worried about, after all, she is the police leader…she knows what she is doing…unlike a specific someone who just keeps going around without plan…" Niko said sarcastically.

"Hehe, it's not like we mind that Honoka-chan leads us around, it's a lot more exciting that way too…" Kotori said.

"Kotori, don't encourage her!" Niko protested.

"But the defense division is doing so well along with investigator division, that's enough to prove that both leaders are doing great…" Kotori replied.

"We could've made things easier, you know, saving our time to do more stuff than to work ourselves out to fix things…" Niko said.

"True…but…I still think it's a lot better than having a dull work time, right? If things are going in order, it's going to be boring and we will have to keep lying to ourselves…"

Niko remained quiet for a moment…then she smiled,

"I guess you're just speaking from experience, huh?"

"Yup, hehe…"

"Well then, I guess you can say that you're right about this…" Niko said.

"Aah! Kotori-chan is so nice!" Honoka appreciated.

Kotori giggled,

"Now-now, let's go back to work, we have something important today…" Kotori said.

"Alright! Let's do it!" Honoka said cheerfully.

* * *

Somewhere in the space;

A silver haired Valkyrie sat in front of the interrogation desk with a long violet haired police standing right in front of her and the two others stood further away from them.

"Do you know why you're under our arrest?!" Erena asked intimidatingly, the silver haired Valkyrie flustered,

"I honestly don't know why, mam…" she replied politely.

Erena remain quiet,

"It's useless to try to intimidate her; she can't even feel fear…" Tsubasa said.

"I don't believe Leyna-chan is doing anything of guilt either…" Anjuu suggested.

"The Evidence is clear and we know who's gone missing in her work days…" Erena said.

"There might be another; you know… you can't possibly just point it towards her…" Tsubasa said.

"Even if she doesn't, she must have something else to tell, right? I mean, look, the evidence clearly said that she is the one who used her authority to enter Terra's laboratory!"

"I'm sorry, but, can you please explain to me about what's happening?" Leyna asked,

Erena sighed before she quickly searched through her bag then placed a badge with a feather ornament and a light blue gem in the middle.

"This…this is yours, right?" she asked.

Leyna remained quiet for a moment before she nodded slowly,

"Yes, it's mine…" she replied emotionlessly.

"Then you really are the one who entered Terra's laboratory and stole the virus?!" Erena frowned,

"Sorry…but no, I lost my badge three years ago… I've reported it to the administration and they gave me a new one…" Leyna bat her eyes to the very similar badge on her collar.

"It doesn't matter when or how you lost it—because I—" before Erena managed to finish talking,

"Wait a minute, Erena…. Didn't you hear her saying that she reported it to the administration?"

"Yes—what about it?" Erena asked to the short woman behind her,

"Leyna, tell me, what badge is that?" Tsubasa asked,

"This is an official badge. A badge that identifies you as a honored member of the Elite Valkyries— we don't share these badges with anyone but the honored members themselves, but ever since that other Valkyries joined in, we decided to share them with the high commander to identify that they are the ones who make both of us related with each other…" Leyna explained.

"I found this badge 5 years ago— on earth… after the massive mysterious rampage on Spicaterrible... the rampage was caused by a set of enhanced virus that was stolen from Terra's laboratory being released in the mineral water supply…"

"Leyna said she lost it 3 years ago…" Anjuu said.

"One always can make lies when she knows that's the evidence that's going to point her to a crime…" Erena frowned deeper. Her voice seems to be an octave louder as she said it,

"Erena, look, you need to get yourself together…. Leyna might be telling the truth…" Tsubasa tried to reason with her police friend.

"What if she is not telling the truth? Do you think we can let a sick bastard on the loose? She is a Valkyrie! She can go anywhere she likes without—…."

"Hold on there, Erena…." Tsubasa said.

"What?!"

"Look, now… you said…she is a Valkyrie, she can go anywhere she likes…. Which implies that she can do teleportation magic….Right? Why she is not running away from here yet?"

"To convince us that she is not the criminal! She felt no guilt, no fear and no worry—she can hide her true feelings!"

"I'm sorry, but, Ms. Police Todo Erena, if you're really trying to find the criminal for whatever is happening that makes you so angry—then you took the wrong person in your custody… I've never paid a visit to Spicaterrible…nor know where it is exactly. Me and The Smarter me never been there and we don't even have a single memory about it either…"

"You and the smarter you?" the police flustered,

"So you really have another personality…"

"Yes… mam, there always be me and the smarter me for the entire time… no body like us in person because we keep changing with each other from time to time…"

"Then, can you show me the smarter you?" Erena asked.

Leyna nodded before she closes her eyes and opened it again—there was no change other than the fact that….

"What is it that you wish to ask?" she asked somewhat her voice is colder,

"About everything…" Erena said in her serious tone,

"There's nothing else I can tell you about it— the badge was lost 3 years ago—we don't know where and how we exactly lost it, but it was definitely not lost on earth… if it ever be an evidence of a crime, then you should start looking for the person that lost her badge… it should be easy to search on those high commanders… but I doubt you can find anyone without a badge from the Elite Valkyries since we always get a replacement as soon as possible… the badge is also where we keep our soul essence…"

"Soul essence?"

"Yes, soul essence… without them we can't touch anything nor be seen by mortals…"

"What do you mean—be seen by mortals?" Erena asked,

"The Elite Valkyries are nothing but soldiers of souls… you need to leave your mortal vessel to become one…and not to forget to be chosen first… the same with the Einhenjars, they're all just soul of the dead warriors that we collect… Not every fraud Valkyries can be chosen, you know— and not all can pass the test even if they are chosen. Sometimes, a person who can pass the test is the person who's living outside of the trained fraud Valkyries community…"

"What's the test?" Tsubasa asked.

"This is not supposed to be leaked out from the community, but I suppose, since you're trying to find an answer— and it will definitely help your search… First, you need to be ready to leave everything behind. Second, you shouldn't be carried away with your worldly desire. Third, you have to understand that once you're an elite Valkyries, you're no longer living for yourself— you will live for the world and to protect them from facing destruction is your main duty. Fourth, you have to be willing to dispose all feelings that exists within you…and lastly, you have to keep moving forward even if it's impossible to do so."

"Oh? No wonder you keep getting lost, I believe you've been taking that last requirement literally?" Tsubasa asked.

"Is it not meant literally?" Leyna asked,

Anjuu, Tsubasa and Erena remain quiet for a moment…

"Hey… this is still the smarter you, right?" Anjuu asked politely.

"Yes, I'm the smarter one…"

The three remained quiet again as they looked at each other,

"Uhm…Leyna, tell me…if you want to go to a waterfall behind a cave—…."

"Move forward to the cave, even if it's impossible to get through the cave wall… there must be something that makes us somehow reach the waterfall…"

And in that very moment, Erena, Anjuu and Tsubasa put their palm on their face.

* * *

The Village, afternoon;

Nozomi and Eli arrived in the village, going straight to the underground garage with the steam bike. As they looked around in the room…

"Hey, Eli, welcome back…" Maki greeted.

"Maki, where are the others?" Eli asked.

"They went out with the Archeologist, she said she wanted to show them a few things..but I just get a feeling that the Archelogist is just trying to impress Umi…"

"What? What happened exactly?" Eli asked,

"You see, we were discussing about our research— I swear that archeologist was like giving out sparkling eyes and placing both of her hands on her own chest, blushing like mad from ever since Umi explained her about the details until the end of her sentence—I bet she must be very charmed by how smart Umi looks…"

Eli chuckled,

"What about Kotori and Honoka then?" she asked playfully.

Maki chuckled in respond as well,

"Not sure, go ask her that when she returns…" Maki replied jokingly.

"Ericchi, looks like you're the only unpopular one…" Nozomi said in all seriousness..

"Says the one who gets mauled by crazy fans for dating me…" Eli said

"Ericchi! Why didn't you say something like, 'I don't mind honey, you're the only one that I need' or something like that…" Nozomi pouts.

"Huh? Why would I say that?"

"Because it's romantic! Sheesh! You need to read more books!"

"I've read a hundred romance books and I don't think I can do what they do with their girl…" Eli said.

"Why not? I'm worthy to be treated like them…"

Eli looked at Nozomi in silence for a moment before she smiled and sighed weakly.

"Honey—why would you want to be treated like a mere princess if the truth says that you're the sweetest and greatest queen for me?" she said with a gentle smile.

As the purple haired girl heard it, she blushed madly.

"W-what a lie! You're such a big mouthed jerk, Ericchi! S-Sheesh!"

"See? This is why I'm not romantic with you… by the time I am you call me a liar…" Eli replied.

"This is part of the cheesy moment! Ericchi! You should read more comics!"

"Do I want to see this….?" Maki smirked,

"You should learn this too, Maki-chan… don't be a not-romantic person like Ericchi!" Nozomi pouted.

"Huh? Well…I don't have a girlfriend to begin with so I don't need to be romantic yet…"

"That's where you're wrong, Maki-chan…. you need to know how to be romantic before being in a relationship! If you don't— you'll be like a spoilsport like Ericchi!"

"I wonder why you're still dating me if you don't like me…" Eli sighed,

"That's because I'm nice… but anyway now, let's run a practice…"

"Practice?"

"Yep… because this is going to be for your future, Maki-chan, I'll pretend that I'm in love with you and you respond like how you want to respond…."

"Huh? Well…alright…" Maki replied.

The room went quiet for a moment before Nozomi started,

"Makki-kun! Please notice me!" she said dramatically,

"H-Huh? Why would I want to notice you?" Maki replied with a sarcastic smirk.

"You see, Makki-kun, I've always watching you from afar…" Nozomi put her fingers together, twiddling it quickly along with her fraud shyness.

"….even though—I know you will never notice me, I keep doing it like an idiot—well, being in love is the time when you go full retard anyway…."

"What kind of sentence is that?!" Eli chuckled,

"Shut up, Ericchi, come take a part already!"

"W-what?" Eli flustered,

"You should teach your junior, right? So do something!" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed before she quickly grabs both of Nozomi's hand,

"Nozomi…. I'm madly in love with you… be mine!" she said obsessively,

"Ahh! No! Ayase-kun is going to rape me! Makki-kun! Makki-kun!"

Maki remained quiet before she sighed

"Bye…" and she started to walk away.

"OI! Maki-chan! Is that what you did to the girl that has been admiring you?!" Nozomi yelled,

"Huh? But I already told you that I don't want to notice you"

"No you don't just say bye and leave! You need to help her…sheesh! Then she falls in love with you more!"

"Eh? But… from almost every story in a comic, the asshole gets the girl and the good guy gets nothing…so…since Eli is being an asshole, it makes me the good one so–I'm trying to be the smart good guy who's not going to try to get what I can't get…"

"Well you need to be a lot more persistent so the story can get longer than ten pages! Sheesh!"

"Huh? Well… ok then…uuh….hmm….hey…Ayase—get away from her…." Maki said lazily.

"Maki-chan, be a lot more powerful…" Nozomi whispered,

"Heh—Then…uh… Ayase! Get away from her!" Maki yelled,

Eli remained quiet for a moment, and then she released Nozomi

"Kyaa…Makki-kun is coming!" Eli said with a girly gesture before she ran away with playful steps,

"There-now, Ericchi! That's not how you respond!"

"But if Maki is being persistent, then that makes her the main guy, right? I'm the side character? You know the main guy always wins even though the side guy appears more powerful…"

"No-no… You two! Listen! This is a triangle love story… so you two should make it looks like it!"

"Oh…"

"Alright… here we go once again…" Nozomi said before she took a deep breath.

The room is quiet for a moment again….then as the purple haired woman started…

"Ohh! Makki-kun! Don't you see? I've always been in love with you! I made two set of lunch boxes today—just for you!"

"Maki, are you into a chubby girl as well?" Eli asked.

"Huh? No… but I guess with that size of breast… she does need two set of lunch every day to keep the nutrition level…." Maki said.

"The other lunch box is for you, Maki-kun!" Nozomi said dramatically as she handed over an invisible lunch box to Maki—despite her frown as she tried to ignore the silly banter.

"Oh… well—thanks I guess?" Maki said.

"You see, Maki-kun, because I made you a lunch box, do you want to eat it with me…?"

Maki stood quiet in thought…

"Why would I want to eat lunch with you… you're just giving me it…beside…." Maki averted her eyes,

"I…I want you to know…. that… this lunchbox… doesn't matter to me…because…." she continued with a slight blush—which totally appear to be faked,

"Oo…this is good…" Nozomi whispered.

"…it was because…. there's someone that I've been looking at…. Someone that I noticed and I always wished to talk with…." Maki continued,

"Y-you already have someone you like?!" Nozomi faked a surprise,

"Yes…. And that someone is….." Maki glanced at Nozomi….

"…..Ayase Eli…" she continued…

Nozomi was stunned as she heard it.

"How was that?" Maki asked innocently…

"Wait…. Why would you say my name instead?" Eli asked.

"Huh? She said triangle love, right? So… say that you like her, she likes me…then I should like you, no?"

"Well, that's true…" Eli scratched her head.

"Maki-chan…. Can we continue this until the end first?" Nozomi requested.

"Huh…sure…."

And the room went quiet for a moment again….

Nozomi took a deep breath before she started,

"Makki-kun…so you like Ayase Eli…but not me?" she asked with gloom on her face.

"Yes…and I'm not sorry… I never want to notice you…."

"I see…then….you leave me no choice…." Nozomi clenched her fist.

"Eh?" Maki flustered,

"Makki-kun…." Nozomi lifted her hand and took out a small knife from her pocket.

"I'm going to force you to be mine…." Nozomi gave out an evil smile.

"W-Whoa now! Nozomi! That's scary!"

"What? This is also a plot in a triangle love story…" Nozomi said.

"Huh!? Is there really something like that?"

"Yup…you won't believe that it's one of the most popular love story…I played it in my tablet…"

"Sometimes I regret getting you a tablet….why would you play a game with a sick story…" Eli sighed.

"Well, of course the overall story is sick, but looking at it again, it's actually a good lesson for those who likes to give fake promises and cheat on his girl—or her girl…"

"Fine—but now-now, why are we doing that practice again?" Eli asked as she smirks.

"To…. Have some fun…?"

"We're clearly wasting time …" Maki smirked,

"Both of you are spoilsports, I wonder why you two aren't sisters…oh wait— you two are brothers!"

"Nozomi…" Maki and Eli sighed again.

Nozomi giggled at them.

"Don't be a spoilsport, we need to have some little fun at times… especially because a specific someone is being a not-romantic person… just look at her— she didn't even touch me today…"

"Why do I have to touch you every day…"

"I don't want to be in this, can I go out?" Maki said.

"Aww..you're leaving Maki-chan? Please don't…someone needs to watch over the garage… and if they returned—tell them we're going out to have a little fresh air…"

"Yes…got it… you two need fresh air…" Maki sighed again before she walked away from them to sit near the research table.

Eli and Nozomi turned around and started to walk out from garage.

"Why can't you just say it that you need 'fresh-air'….sheesh…"

"Are you expecting me to say what? 'Come on Ericchi! Come on! I give good head!'… like that?" Nozomi said in dramatic sultry voice.

"Hell, no… that's a turn off…"

"See? How else am I asking you?"

And the two left the garage quietly.

* * *

Somewhere around the dark forest;

Alisa, Umi, Rin and Hanayo were taking a stroll around the dark forest with a lantern in their hand.

"…so…you see, this dark forest itself has a history of its own… many would call this place as a place that was created by everyone's darkness. But I'd call this place as where everyone's darkness are being taken away… it's true that there are lots of monsters that starts to lurk around here and get ready to harm you as they find an opening, but no— I still won't judge them as an evil being. There has never been a history of anyone getting killed here, right?" Alisa explained.

"Actually, there are plenty of murders happening here… the pirates especially…" Hanayo said.

"The Pirates? They're not supposed to be attacking around here, right?"

"No…I mean...pirates are being killed here…by…uh...some specific people…"

"Well, alright, but anyhow, the concept of this Dark forest is actually great— because as you leave the forest, you'll feel like the dark side of you has gone away from your heart… thanks to the great Toujou family for creating this forest…now they who want to reflect on their life, can always pay a visit here and take a small stroll…"

"Toujou….family?" Rin, Umi, and Hanayo flustered,

"Yep, Toujou Family. The lady is known to be a great mind mage who created this forest… then the man, a great magic technology engineer that supported the lady with this project. They were such a great team… and what's better is— The man is a great friend of my father… he said he used to say that they will marry their child with each other… it's too bad that Toujou-san has gone missing long-long time ago… they've never made any contact with each other after that… so my father thought… they're no longer friends…"

"A-Actually, do you remember the house that you entered a while back?" Hanayo asked.

"What about it?"

"It was owned by the Toujou family… the current owner name is… Toujou Nozomi…"

"Oh! Nozomi! I know her! But… Is that true? I must be in luck to be able to work with the Toujou Family!"

"You didn't know her title?" Hanayo wondered,

"What title?"

"Uh…she is known very well as a trouble maker…"

"Ah! That? Well…you see, almost everything that Toujou Nozomi-san did, was something a clever one does… we've never seen it as a problem. She has made a lot of place allied with each other in order to outwit her. She is willing to become a public enemy for the sake of everyone's unity… isn't that something good?"

"I…can't agree with that…" Umi said.

"Ah—Umi-san, it's too bad that you can't, but…truth is, humans always look for excitement, when there's nothing, they will make one— which means, if they find trouble as something exciting, they'll make one… that's what my father always believe… and I agreed with it."

"We don't have to be a burden for everyone if we want to unite—we just need to find a reason why we should unite…"

"But isn't that just the same with what I talk about, Umi-san? I mean, let's just say that Toujou Nozomi-san has become a reason why everyone must unite…"

"It doesn't have to become the trouble itself, it could be something like to improve what is needed to be improved, it's a lot more useful than trying to drag someone down to the graveyard…"

"You're right… but I believe, that kind of dreamy goal in this dark world won't do it…everyone needs to make them think that they're no longer in a dark age…"

"Dark world, dark age… I'm starting to get a feeling that you're being a little too pessimistic…" Umi said.

The young blonde giggled,

"Well, my points are based on what I study… so everything I said is according to what I've learned. I can't say it's a pessimist thought— but I also can't say that it's the reality either, it's a study, something that I know!" Alisa replied cheerfully.

Umi lifted her eyebrow,

"Then, care to explain me about what exactly the dark world and dark age is that you're talking about?"

"Yay! I've been waiting for that question from you, Umi-san!" Alisa said with a lot more happiness in her voice.

"E-Eh?"

"Well you see, Umi-san! I believe you've heard about this— about the moving Citadel. After all, that is what made you start doing research, right? Well, it is indeed related. But I'm not quite sure about how that machine will work—especially with the white board that doesn't seems to be the part of the machine. But from what I know from my own artifact research, we have to put everyone who're related with the artifacts together. Their family names are Kousaka, Sonoda, Minami, Koizumi, Nishikino, Hoshizora, Yazawa, Ayase and Toujou… but they won't be able to do a thing before the A-Rise unlocked the code…"

"What code-nya?" Rin asked.

"Well…it's a code, they must've already known what code they needed to unlock… because the secrets starts with them— then Kousaka family will engage the beginning with Sonoda and Minami's support, then Koizumi will join in along with Nishikino and Hoshizora, Yazawa will come as well then the last will be Ayase and Toujou…"

"How do you know that?"

"It happened in the past…" Alisa replied.

"What happened in the past?"

"…that is how it worked in the past, to end the dark age and start a new light, to create a brighter world which will eventually grow dim like now… From 'If' to 'I'm Sure' an enchanting spell will be spoken after the storm. No one will have to fall if a great success can be achieved—if not, then one must fall for everyone else…"

Umi looked surprised as she heard it.

"What do you mean?"

"It is what it means, if everyone managed to do things right, then no one will have to fall… but if someone messed up the work— then someone will certainly need to fall… but I suppose that someone will be that person who messed up the work… because how else will they take the responsibility?"

"How do we know if we're doing it right? I mean, I know people are very clumsy in our side…so…please, if you know a way to prevent bad things to happen…"

"From what I know in my research, bad things will certainly happen once the Citadel lands in its spot…"

"Uh..is that, The End of Sorrow?" Hanayo asked,

"Yup, that's what the city is named—ironic, right?"

"A city?" Umi flustered.

"Yep, it's a city. It's very close to the Diamond Princess mine, but the city was abandoned due to the explosion that happened in the end of ordinary sorrow. Leaving only one strongest weapon that remains unbroken by the massive explosion… a few historians said that the explosion came from a failed experiment that was done by the well-known alchemist…"

"A well-known alchemist? I wonder if I can get the name of the alchemist…?"

"Hmm… Honestly, I've never found the name in any books—or perhaps, I just couldn't read his name. The book that tells about him feels so….chemical… but anyhow, the weapon was taken by the founder and—sold to an organization, they said. But since the weapon itself held a mysterious magic, they had to somehow give it to a strong soldier that will be able to wield it…"

"Is there any chance that this indestructible weapon is named after where it was found?" Umi asked.

"Oh—Yes. It's popularly named as The End of Sorrow, but they who know the true name will call it The End of Ordinary Sorrow…"

"Ooo! Then, Eli-chan's weapon is—!" Hanayo began to panic.

"It's still a possibility… but we really should show it to Alisa…" Umi said.

"Eli…? That name feels really nostalgic for me. My sister's name is Eli…. Ayase Eli…"

"E-Ehhh?! W-Well! Our friends name is Ayase Eli!" Hanayo said.

"Ah! That's a coincidence!"

Umi remain quiet for a moment…

"What if it's not a coincidence? I mean… what if, our friend is your sister…?"

"You're kidding. Umi-san. My sister is dead… and we're from earth…remember? There's no way for us to come from the mother ship…" Alisa smiled faintly.

"Wait there…" Umi frowned,

"Eh?" Alisa seems to be flustered.

"The mother ship…. You just called Terra as the mother ship…."

"I-It's the other name of it, right?"

"No, if you're coming from earth, you'll never call Terra as the mother ship…."

"I'm an archeologist; I'm staying neutral in the war..." Alisa averted her eyes,

"….and you wouldn't know if we're in a war…. Because the earth never admitted the existence of Terra itself…."

Alisa bit her lips,

"A-Alisa-chan…don't tell me, you're—…." And before Hanayo managed to finish,

"This joke is not funny, ok? My sister is dead and I've always believed that from the start… don't try to show me another way…" Alisa said coldly.

"Eli didn't die in the incident, the Valkyries took care of her… and she is now living with a part of her body replaced with metal… she has always been looking for you, you know?" Umi frowned deeper as she said it.

"Umi-san…. I really appreciate you…and always looking up to you…. but…why do you have to make such lies? Even if she is truly alive, there's no way for her to look for us… because we abandoned her….and we left her in her death bed…"

"It's not a lie. Eli is alive…. You have to meet up with her yourself… I believe she'll be happy to see you…"

"No way…. I bet she will give me all the cold talk and brush me off…."

"Even if that's the case, you have to believe that she truly is looking for you and worried about you… she even asked the A-Rise to help her to look for you all…" Umi said again.

"yeah, that's true-nya!" Rin added.

Alisa remained quiet for a moment…

"Very well… if she truly is my sister, then I want to see her with my own eyes…"

* * *

Toujou's residence, bedroom;

As the purple haired woman pinned down the blonde to the bed— playfully teasing her desire with her tongue, licking the neck of hers, she demanded the strong soldier to venture her hands up and down through her body.

A moment after, the two reached each other's lips and lustfully enjoyed each other's warmth.

"Mmmh…. This is very healthy…. Don't you think…?" the lustful purple haired woman said as she gripped tight to the metal hand.

"If you want to count this as your daily sport, then I can't complain. We do move a lot during intimacy…. Just because you're easily bored…" the blonde replied before she planted a kiss on her lover's breast.

"My…it's not that I'm easily bored, it's just that I like experimenting… don't you like it too?"

Eli kept quiet as she trailed up her lips and released it right before she gave one teasing peck on the other woman's lips.

"You don't need to drag me to your fetish, I mean, come on, I never said that I like you to scream my name when we're on it… you're the one who did it…"

"Didn't that make you feel like you're dominating me?"

"No… you're just turning me off… be glad that you're still cute for me so that I can keep my lust on you…"

"So you like me to act cute instead of slutty?"

"Who likes slutty you? No one…"

"If you were a guy, Ericchi, then I would've called you a strange one. Many guys love it when they can break his girl's limits— and many girls like it when they're being dominated…I'm one of them…"

"Well, I'm certainly not one of the guy nor the girl, I am me and I love Nozomi…however she wants to be taken or…taking me…"

Nozomi giggled,

"My! You're being flirty now!" she said before she kissed her lover lustfully as she kept pressing her down against the fluffy bed.

"Mmmh….if you keep that up, Ericchi…." she paused for a few licks and kisses,

"I might unleash my wild side and I'll dominate you instead…."

"Do you bark when you're wild?" The blonde said with playful smile.

"No, but I bite…" the other woman replied before she kissed her lover deeply. As their tongues intertwined in a playful manner and their arms clinging to each other as their hands traveled through each other's hair.

As they thought to enjoy themselves more, a gentle knock was placed onto their bedroom door.

The two paused as both of their eyes turned towards the door.

"Eli, Nozomi, you two are inside, right?" a voice said.

"No Maki-chan, we're outside… under the tree…" Nozomi replied playfully.

"Heh— well, I guess you two are digging for treasure right now huh?" Maki said with a slight playful tone.

"Yep, looking for some platinum…" Nozomi replied which caused Eli to snort as she tried to hold her laughter.

"Anyway, Umi and the others already returned, Kotori also said that she'll be in the garage soon. So… I hope you two are actually going there after you find…your….platinum…."

"Don't worry, Maki-chan, we can even share the platinum…"

"No thanks… I'm too rich already…" Maki replied before the two could hear her leaving.

Eli and Nozomi sighed weakly.

"We should make it quick…" Eli said.

"Sheesh, I wish we could somehow do this without being bothered…"

"That's why we shouldn't do this while doing anything… you keep wanting to do this in the middle of a quest or a business, that's your fault…"

"Hmm…you shouldn't blame me because when I get so stressed, the only thing I can think of is to get myself touched by my precious Ericchi… and her cold hand."

"Well, no one told you to get stressed over these… we're working together…"

"I have a lot of things that I keep about this project, you know, but they don't have any good bases yet. I'm not ready to explain…"

"Well, doesn't that mean we have to work harder? Let's finish this and then we can enjoy living together…"

"Ahh…to hear the words of 'living together' from you feels so dreamy to me… it's like you're telling me to get married with you… hmm… I wonder why you haven't proposed to me as your bride yet…"

"You still want me to do that? I mean…after everything?"

"What's wrong with asking that? I want to be known as your bride and I want you to make your mark on me…then I'll make my mark on you as well…"

Eli smiled,

"What is this mark you're talking about? The one that I usually leave on your neck?" she said playfully.

"No, Ericchi! A Ring! You always got me weapons, armors, and everything, but you never got me a ring!"

"Why does it have to be a ring, huh? Can't it be…you know… underwear…"

"Ericchi!"

"What? it's a good idea to propose someone with underwear…"

"Silly Ericchi! You don't propose a girl with underwear!"

And the blonde laughed as she saw her lover puff up her cheeks.

"Don't worry, Nozomi, I'll find you the best ring in the entire galaxy, then I'll make sure to give it to you in the most romantic moment and it will make you cry…"

"It will make me cry? You're joking, I have no more tears to shed, darling…"

"Really? Then what if…."

And without any delay, Eli tickled Nozomi,

"E-Ericchi! No! That's a no-no! Bad Ericchi! Bad!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, the Underground Garage;

Umi, Rin, Alisa, and Hanayo were waiting around the garage. The young blonde seemed to be very uncomfortable and worried, while she kept staring into the floor as her hands brushed against her neck.

The door opened—which caused them to be on alert, though they sighed as they could see Maki enter the place without anyone else.

"Where are they?" Umi asked.

"They should be coming over soon…" Maki replied.

"That's good! Because—I…I think I'm not ready yet!" Alisa said.

"Uh… why would you need to get ready-nya?"

"Because…. well…because…I mean…. Uh….I…." Alisa flustered,

"Just relax, we can guarantee that she is not mad at you…" Maki said.

"I…I know….but—what will I say to myself? I mean…. look… I…I….I took everything she had…"

"What is this 'everything' huh?" Maki raised her eyebrow.

"Everything! From my parents love to her belongings… I took them, I used them….."

"That's not a big deal; Eli worked hard for what she has now, as long as you didn't take that one…"

"No! I won't! But still, how can I face her after everything?" Alisa said in panic,

Umi sighed heavily,

"Hey, Maki, did you tell Eli that Alisa is waiting for her?"

"No…. I'm glad I didn't….knowing that she is still acting like a living fish on the land…"

"Good…." Umi smiled faintly.

"You need to calm down, Alisa-chan… take a deep breath…" Hanayo said gently.

Alisa took a deep breath,

"Release it….."

And Alisa releases it.

"Once again…."

And Alisa repeated the same procedure over and over until…

The door opened…

"Aaaaahhh!" Alisa panicked again.

"Waaaaaahhhh!" a familiar ginger-haired girl shouted as well as she stepped into the room.

"Oh…." Alisa calmed down as quickly as she realized that there's nothing to be worried about.

"Oi-oi, what is it now…" Niko shoved Honoka as she tried to enter the room along with Kotori behind her.

"Niko…" Maki greeted her as she watched the three closed the door and approach them.

"Welcome back-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Thanks…and uh..hey, I know you…" Niko said as her gaze fell towards the young blonde.

"W-what? Me? I…I didn't do anything!" Alisa quickly raised both of her hands.

"Huh? I just said that I know you…from a picture, but I can't really remember it…hmm…" Niko said.

"It wasn't me! I swear!" Alisa panicked again.

"She is Eli's younger sister…" Maki said.

"Oh! Right! Yes! You're the one in her family profile!" Niko said.

"E-Eh? How did you know?"

"Well, obviously because your sister has been looking for you…"

"Oh….so it was true…" Alisa softened her expression.

"Yep, she has been looking for all of you… she was so clueless about why you all left without telling her anything other than 'don't look for us' …. She was also worried that letter was just something to make her not look for you all…. Let's just say a forged letter…."

"It's not a forged letter… it was….what my mother wrote for the administrator….and for everyone else in Terra….. We just wanted to stop living in a place where we were all forced to survive from a battle that we could prevent…"

"Well, you all obviously don't understand what's going on as Terra travels around the space…" Niko crossed her arms.

"The battle isn't just a battle that you can prevent; they need to do it so that they can keep everyone alive… for over many years, Terra made a lot of alliances with planets around the galaxies so that they will pay them with enough resources to keep their ship running… Basically, don't complain over such small thing…." She continued.

"That's exactly the thing that they say when we state our complaints… truth is that not all of us want to be a soldier— but they forced us to be a soldier, to work for them and to survive the battle that we don't want to join in…. why can't we get through our life just like the way humans on earth are?" Alisa frowned at her,

"Hey now, look, it's not that much different than your life in a family. You have to obey the rules as long as you're living in it. Nothing is free… especially because you're already a grown up—and you can't prevent yourself to not be one….then before I hear you say 'I don't want to grow up' … I have to tell you that as long as you're trying to live in the past, you'll never be able to find fun in your future. You can keep calling yourself as an unfortunate one, but truth is that it was your own mind that kept you as the unfortunate one…."

Alisa blushed slightly,

"I've never thought myself to be unfortunate! I have all my family love ever since my sister claimed to be dead. It just that, I….. I still can't agree with the idea of forcing everyone to work themselves up as soldiers! I hate living there—we all do!"

"There's still this, I heard you all supposedly work as an entertainer, why are you an archeologist?" Maki asked.

"That's…" Alisa averted her eyes.

"….that's because I—…." She continued with a whisper which eventually unheard.

"Excuse me?" Umi asked

"I mean… that's because I wanted to prevent the world from going through the same fate as my sister!" Alisa said with her face blushing red.

And everyone remained quiet as they heard her— knowing that what the young blonde was a complete lie.

Niko sighed weakly.

"Alright, let's pretend that we all bite that…"

"Sh-sheesh! Why are you all judging me! It's not that our family is having a hard time as we stepped our feet on this planet anyway! We are very well known and we're always living in peace! Besides! You don't know what I really feel when I had to leave my sister! I was really broken, you know?! I really don't want to leave her there—but the Valkyries told us that she can't be saved…and we should save ourselves from the same fate!"

As Alisa finished talking… the door opened once more...

This time, Eli and Nozomi walked in, as the older blonde's sapphire eyes fell onto an identical pair of eyes…

"Alisa…?" Eli called her first.

"O….Onee-san…..?"

* * *

**Alright. Next Chapter is the turning point, so, yeah, it means the Ending is coming soon.**

**I don't know about extra chapter, but I'll see if i can do them. It's been super busy for me. **


	26. At The End Of Sorrow

**Here is the turning point chapter.**

**Again, sorry for delay.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/ and follows!**

* * *

Toujou's residence—underground garage;

As the two blonde stared at each other quietly, small tears fell from both of their azure eyes, as cheeks reddened and the older of the two was first to react..

"Alisa!" she called her once again as she ran close—though before she managed to reach the small woman, Alisa quickly took out a gun and pointed it at her,

"No! Don't come any closer!" she shouted.

Eli stopped,

"Alisa….?" Eli flustered, along with the others, who seemed to be very surprised as well,

"Show yourself! Monster!" Alisa intimidated.

Eli remained quiet— flustered with her sister's actions. Alisa—with her gun pointed straight ahead as her legs shook in fear, frowning at Eli who was unmoving. The older blonde smiled faintly before she raised both of her hands quietly,

Alisa widened her orbs in surprise,

"Now-now, that's not how you greet a relative that you haven't met for a long time, right?" Nozomi commented, trying to break the ice.

"Even if she looks like my sister, I don't want her to come any closer!" Alisa said loudly.

"But why? I thought you wanted to see her?" Hanayo asked.

Alisa remained quiet for a moment.

"I don't want to just believe in her…"

"Then what do you want her to do, huh?" Nozomi asked.

Once again, the younger blonde went quiet for a few seconds,

"Show me a reason why I should believe you…." she said.

Eli didn't respond.

The two stayed in silence for a while until Eli smiled faintly and turned down.

"I don't have anything…sorry…. I can't make you believe me…"

Alisa seems to be surprised as she heard it.

"What are you saying, Ericchi. If you're truly her sister, then you should have something that you can call as a trademark, something that makes you known to her…"

"I don't have any…." Eli replied.

"W-what about your arm, Eli?" Maki asked.

Some of people started to fluster,

"It's not going to prove anything… it's not part of me… and she wouldn't know…"

"I already told her— so please, show her your arm…" Umi said.

The older blonde hesitated for a moment but seeing the curious eyes of the younger one, she decided to agree and carefully strip herself off her shirt, revealing her black undergarment and the rubber skin that covered a part of her. She carefully peeled off her rubber skin…..

Alisa pointed her gun down, as her eyes widened after noticing the metal part digging deep into her shoulder flesh. She wondered how much trouble it must've been to, install a metal arm, made out of small iron muscles and strong-looking cables on her body. But there was no doubt that such technology only exists, as she also knows that there are some robots with similar structure to it… but still, for her to see her very own sister with it….

The sight did not only move one heart, Kotori herself, who was very surprised, put both of her hands on her lips, and Hanayo with her mouth open slightly while the rest kept staring at the metal arm.

"Sorry. I've never actually told anyone about this… only some of you know about it…" Eli said.

"This is only a sign of humiliation and nothing more... I lost my arm because of my own mistake. I wasn't smart enough to think…" she continued.

Alisa looked touched as she said it, hint of tears threatening to coming out of her eyes.

"I can't possibly mark this as something that proves that I'm truly your sister…. So that's why… I…."

She paused, her eyes looking at everyone else.

"I think…no matter how hard I try…. I will never be able to prove it…so….I think….we should just get on with our true business here… you're not here for a chat, right?" Eli said a little sadly.

"No…." the younger blonde said,

"That's enough, Onee-san, you've convinced me…." she continued.

Eli seems to be flustered.

"That's how my sister is— someone who is always too scared to try…. And giving up before trying…. That's how she always is….." Alisa smiled faintly as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Alisa…."

And just within seconds, the younger blonde dropped her gun and ran to the older one.

"Onee-san!" She called wholeheartedly.

Eli remained quiet and smiled faintly as she accepted the younger one in her embrace.

"Onee-san! I'm sorry that I didn't believe in you…." she sobbed,

"—I….I just wanted to stop worrying, I just wanted to stop being in pain as I thought about you…. I kept making lies to myself! I'm sorry! Onee-san!" she continued in her cry.

The others seems to be quiet as they watched the reunion,

"If only I knew that you'll make it… If only I knew that you'll look for me…. I could've—….."

She sobbed again,

"I could've told papa to not move away from Terra. I could've not trust the Valkyries about your end of time….and I…. could've just said to mama that….I…. I don't want to move out! I really wanted to wait for you! I really wanted to stay with you…. I really love you, Onee-san!" Alisa cried as she hugged her sister tightly.

"It's fine, Alisa…. I'm glad to see you….. I'm glad you're alright…." Eli replied.

"Now-now, you two… Time's up for the teary dramatic reunion… we should start thinking about work…" Nozomi said.

"You're just jealous…." Niko said— her eyes are all red as she tried her best to look tough.

"What did you say?" Nozomi turned her gaze towards her.

"N-Nothing!"

"This is just out of curiosity but what did the Valkyrie say about Eli?" Umi asked.

Alisa tried to calm down before she decided to turn around to respond to the blue-head,

"They said, her condition was hopeless, it's almost impossible for her to be able to live…. Even if she did, she will never be the same person she used to be…so we thought, it's better for her to die…. We didn't want her to suffer…. We really don't…." Alisa said.

"Then I suppose it was a miracle then, huh?" Nozomi said.

"Yes… we should've remembered that our mother is a Light Mage…. She might've inherited her power…." Alisa said.

"A light mage? Aren't they all gone from ever since—wait…. Your mother lives in Terra for long, she would've not experienced it…" Nozomi said.

"Nozomi-chan, are you talking about the first pirate raid…?" Kotori said.

"Yes… the last order of light mages were taken away— to an unknown place. It's hard to inherit their power without the lineage and that caused the light magic itself to become extinct in that time… so…I was really surprised to know that you were born from a Light Mage…"

"What do Light Mages do?" Maki asked.

"They're mages that specialize in light magic, which means— they have higher resistance to magic, also always better in both physical and magic defense. The opposite— dark mages, or let's say, my mother… we don't actually have much specialty other than better power and easier magic enhancement which caused us to be able to master mind magic easier…" Nozomi replied.

"Does that also mean that Eli-chan should have better resistance to the virus from Endless Citadel?" Hanayo asked.

"Better resistance, yes, but they are not immune to it… Dark Mages have better benefit in that…" Nozomi replied.

"Why?" Umi asked.

"Oh-Oh, let me answer her, Nozomi-san!" Alisa said.

"Go on then…" Nozomi replied.

"Hehe…I like this part… because it's related to the creation of the Endless Citadel itself…." Alisa started,

"The creation?" Umi asked again.

"Yep… do you remember what I said about The End of Sorrow? It's ironic…" Alisa started,

"And It's Ironic because it was supposed to be made to put an end to everyone's sorrow— yet it makes new sorrow…" Alisa continued.

"The old orders are very tight about magic— then the constant bickering which somewhat feels like it will lead to a war between the Earth and Terra makes some part of the orders move out from their reign and trying to create their very own reign by building a flying city which they call as The Endless Citadel. The Citadel was built at an untitled field which was eventually called as The End of Sorrow— but since they needed support from others and sort of needed a new place for living, they created The End of Ordinary sorrow so that the workers were able to live around there as they built the city…"

"So, you mean, The End of Ordinary Sorrow is actually a place for them to live?"

"Yep, and it was a very luxurious place before they exploded it…"

"Why they exploded it-nya?"

"Accident, but they didn't mind it anyway, they moved to the Endless Citadel instead…"

"Oh…"

"Anyhow, after the city reached its completion, they started to fly it out using the magic technology. One of the engineer is Toujou-san—or let's say, Nozomi-san's papa!" Alisa said.

"I didn't know he was one of the engineer…." Nozomi raised her eyebrow.

"Well, papa told me that he was a good friend with your papa… but they never contacted with each other for a long time now….I wonder when they can meet up?" Alisa said.

"Unless he is sharp enough to see souls— then they will never meet each other again…" Nozomi replied.

"Oh…sorry—I…didn't know….or…uh…I forgot if anyone has mentioned it before…" Alisa replied a little embarrassedly.

"It's fine… he is just an old man by now anyway…." Nozomi replied.

"What did it do with the disease though?" Umi asked.

"Oh, right— well, the disease was actually made of an experiment… after they somehow captured the race called as the planet parasite by many. The current explanation about the virus—or curse, says that the disease was made of a dark element. The reason why the virus was maden is still unknown….if only we had an Alaistair to explain…they supposedly know about them more than any other."

"Sorry, but I don't know…what about you, Umi-chan?" Honoka said.

"Honoka!" Umi frowned.

"It's fine, Umi-chan, this is for research— and no one will do any harm to us…" Honoka said.

"How could you be so sure about it! I mean— don't just come out of your hiding for no reason!"

"It's not going to be a big deal! Really! Think positive! Everyone around us are kind people!" Honoka replied.

"Put that aside, now, tell us, do you know anything about the virus and the origin of it?" Eli asked.

Umi sighed weakly,

"Yes, I know a little…. I've heard that they created that virus so that they can live longer like us—Alaistair, though, something went horribly wrong and caused the virus to mutate and now it is how it is… no one can stop it from spreading yet…" she replied.

"You mean, because they are weak— they wanted to be strong by creating such virus and inject them on themselves?" Niko asked.

"Yes, I heard it wasn't supposed to be released yet, but the young scientist was rushing the release and ended up screwing up with the whole race with it…"

"Ah! Now I understand— the reason why the experiment ended up causing chaos on the Endless Citadel. Someone must've told such story to the researcher, which caused them to try the same for their own— they who live in Endless Citadel tends to be too proud of themselves, so I can totally imagine them trying so hard to copy the experiment…" Alisa said.

"The Endless Citadel was ruined about seven years ago— close to the time when the pirates started to invade…"

"Actually, the pirates started their invasion about eight years ago…." Umi said.

"Nope, it's should be a lot more years before that…" Nozomi said.

"Yeah— it should be a lot more years before that!" Kotori repeated.

"Well, alright, the pirates attacked Planet Eamon eight years ago, their motive was to kidnap our people and sell them around…" Umi said.

"My family moved to earth many years ago… my mother said because we were called by someone— but I never asked who or when it was exactly." Honoka said,

"You should ask, Honoka, it might be crucial.."

"Hehe, yup! I'll do that later!"

"Anyway, if you're one of the experiment member that I mentioned, then I might know why you were called, it should be for an experiment that was related to the machine that you all currently have…. from what I've heard, the machine is supposed to keep some kind of recipe to create a decoy…"

"A decoy….?" Everyone flustered.

"Yup, a decoy, to deal with the recent event they said, but I never was able to get information about what exactly the event is. Even though my father said he was part of the experiment that time, he said he couldn't recall any specific event other than trying to create the decoy itself… he was too focused with it… " Alisa continued on.

"What about the others? Any other extra information we can mix and match?" Eli asked.

"Uh, as for me-nya, I think my family was only told to keep the experiments, but the pirates attacked and took a lot of our things-nya… it happened about sixteen years ago!" Rin said.

"I..I don't have much information, but I know that I was left with a sentence to remember— something about "grow your passion"…." Hanayo said.

"A sentence, huh? It might be related to our white board…." Maki said.

"I remember that my parents said something too…" Umi said.

"I…I think I remember too… but, I couldn't really grasp it…" Kotori said.

"I do too-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Why don't you all try to write the sentences? We might find something… you too, Onee-san." Alisa said.

"Alisa, I've never heard of any sentence…" Eli said.

"You never…? Strange… I've never heard one too, but, papa said you should be the one who gets it…. that's why he never told me…" Alisa replied.

Nozomi frowned slightly,

"Hey, Ericchi is supposed to be dead to your family, right? Don't you think you find that strange that he didn't pass it to you?" Nozomi asked.

"I know— but if that's what papa said, then I can't deny it… it's his decision…"

"He must have a reason to do so…" Eli said.

"Yep, I believe so!" Alisa said.

"Either way, she is right, let's all write down the sentence we inherited from our parents…" Niko said.

"Huh? You got one too? unexpected…" Maki said mockingly.

"O-of course I have! Sheesh! My family was part of the experiment too!"

"Everyone here was…. so let's get to work already." Umi said.

"I agree… let's do it…" Eli said.

* * *

The Police Station;

Tsubasa sat on her seat as she held her phone, Anjuu kept herself occupied with documents and Erena— just walked out of the investigation room.

She sighed heavily.

"So, how is it? Finally found something?" Tsubasa asked.

"No…she….she really appears to be innocent…"

"I told you, she is innocent… " Tsubasa said.

"I really can't believe that she is…. I want to talk to her once again later…." Erena said.

"You should stop wasting your time with her, Erena. Leyna has never been guilty from the start. She is just framed because of her…. extra ordinary way of thinking…" Anjuu said.

"You mean, because she is very clumsy?" Erena said with a smirk.

"Yep… and—look at her, do you think someone as sweet as her will do something terrible?"

"Look at Nozomi Toujou, she is cute and all—and still doing things like a thug..." Erena said.

"Haha— ever heard of honey badger? I think that animal can describe her…" Tsubasa said.

"I'd go with a raccoon anytime, but I guess honey badger does describe her… " Anjuu said.

"Just why is she a honey badger anyway… I'll say that she is just a damned thug."

"Can't you see? She did all that because she wants to survive… I'll blame her bad childhood days…"

"Just what do you know about it, huh?" Erena asked.

"From Honoka, she said she used to talk about it with Ayase Eli…" Tsubasa replied.

"Don't you realize that Ayase Eli is also a cold blooded murderer?"

"You think they made some sort of conspiracy or something?"

"I doubt that, when I talked to Kotori-chan about it— she said, Eli is a coward that goes on a rampage and starts to lose her mind as she fights, or at least that's what Kotori-chan heard from Nozomi... but ah— don't you think the two had a dramatic turn? I mean, from cold blooded murderer into a pair of love birds…."

"The next thing I expect is that the two of them will turn into a savage couple that kills everyone in their way…" Erena smirked.

"No way, they changed. You should stop looking at them that way…" Tsubasa protested.

"Yeah, that's cruel of you to not accept someone's change… I mean, you never know about who they want to be— they might've really wanted to be someone fun to get along with…" Anjuu added.

"What about 'the history can't change' words? Why are you two suddenly being so supportive of their existence?" Erena asked.

"Simply because they have made a lot of changes—and from Honoka and Kotori's story as well.." Tsubasa said.

"People make mistakes, even though it's true that their's can't be simply be forgiven… we still can see their effort to be different… that's all that matters, right?"

Erena sighed again,

"Let's forget this topic already. I simply will say that I just can't trust them…"

"Oh! Anyway! Honoka told me, they started to work on decoding the white board…also said that Eli got to meet one of her relative on Earth— apparently, her sister works as an archeologist…"

"Archeologist? That's a strange occupation for someone who grew up in an artistic family… I mean, her mother, was a dancer…. Right? Then their father was a musician?"

"Yep— also turns out that her mother was also a Light Mage, surprising, isn't it?"

"The long lost light mage? Wow… never expected to know that they still exist…"

"She also said, Nozomi turned out to be born from a Dark Mage— who were also told to be lost along with the Light Mage…"

"This dark and light mage— isn't this too sudden? I mean, I've never heard anything about it until now…" Anjuu said.

"I know! But don't you think, with those facts, we can try to solve a mystery about their disappearance…?" Tsubasa asked.

"Then we will have to uncover a few more puzzles and also re-open the old documents…" Anjuu said.

"It might be related to the current event as well— The Endless Citadel! They might know how to stop it from moving or how to get through it…" Tsubasa said energetically.

"Hmm…if that's the case, then let's get it done…" Erena said before the three started to work.

* * *

The Valhalla;

"Valkyrie Minami!" a valkyrie ran into the hall where Valkyrie Minami usually stays when she rested,

"Yes…?" Valkyrie Minami replied calmly.

"A while ago, Nozomi-san said that she wants you to personally come to visit her— she also says that it's very important…and it's related to the current events– The moving Citadel. We tried to press an explanation about it, but she refuse to do so."

"That's always the case for her— I'll go…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"I wonder if she ever trusts us for anything…" the valkyrie said.

"Maybe she just doesn't want to spoil too much for you all. Besides, didn't she already ask you all to prepare for battle?"

"Yes, I believe she did a few months ago— but still… we really wanted to hear more about this Moving citadel, even though some of us aren't from the earth— we still really care about them…"

"I'd suggest you to just stick with what she told you, maybe next time she will trust you…"

"I understand, then I'll go ahead to the training room…" the Valkyrie said before she ran off.

"Such a curious one— hmm…I wonder what Nozomi wants from me though?" Valkyrie Minami thought to herself before she decided to go prepare…

* * *

The Earth—Koizumi's farm land;

Maki, Umi, and Eli sat near the farm as they stared into the blue sky.

"Heh—we just wrote something, then get kicked out… this is so wrong in many levels. That white board is mine…" Maki said.

"Does Nozomi always do something like this?" Umi asked.

"She doesn't usually do that, I guess it's just because she needs some sort of high focus to do it…" Eli replied.

"You should tell us about Kotori too— why did she kick us out as well?" Maki asked while taking a slight glance towards the blue-haired woman,

"I don't know… she is a little unpredictable…but I did notice that she is the one who suggested to kick us all out… even Rin and the others got kicked out…." Umi replied.

"Mages only, huh? But Alisa is no mage…not that I know of…" Eli said.

"You've been separated for too long, don't you wish to go back home or something?" Umi asked.

"I miss my father and mother, if that's what you're asking. I want to see them doing alright… to see Alisa is a good step—and to see her reaction, it made me really happy…"

"Then, you should go ask her to meet up with both of your parents...maybe during break time?"

"We don't really have this break time, unless they burn out their brains and need it so much— but by then, I just believe that Nozomi will drag me to bed…" Eli replied with a playful smile.

"Heh— you and her, always get intimate at any time in need, huh?" Maki raised her eyebrow.

"You can say that…" Eli chuckled.

"Eli…I can't believe you're not a virgin anymore… I thought you'll be my virgin comrade…" Umi said in all seriousness.

"Why are you saying it like I've done some kind of sin or something— but, I never said I want to be an eternal virgin like you…" Eli replied.

"This is unacceptable, a warrior should not throw themselves to the heavens like that…."

"To the 'heavens', huh? You're clearly trying to say that you don't want to be a virgin…" Maki said.

"Just pick one already, Umi, you'll get heaven…" Eli said teasingly.

"I don't have any choice to pick… the only choice for a warrior is life or death…" Umi said in a more serious tone.

Maki and Eli smirked,

"I jest…. I just want to remind Eli that we're still warriors. We must put our duty as priority…" Umi said with a chuckle,

"Why am I getting more surprised with you making a joke— even though it's not that new anymore…" Maki said as she smirked at her senior.

"Haha— but really, we've been together for long, and soon enough. Eli will graduate…. Also— if this case leads us to a battle…. Then I hope this will be the last big battle that Eli has to deal with. You've done so much for everyone… it's time for you to rest and perhaps to start a new life with Nozomi…" Umi said.

"That's kind of you to say that…." Eli smiled faintly.

"I always adored you, you know that? You're the reason why I want to be strong in the beginning… you're a great senior…" Umi said with a smile.

"Are you ok, Umi? This heartfelt talk makes me feel weird…" Maki said.

"I just wanted to let her know… because, you know…. this case is not an easy task, it's a lot harder than our usual battles. I've known those planet parasites for a while, a group of them should be able to tear down many things at once… Even though, I believe, we will have the police and Valkyries helping, I doubt we all will survive until the end…"

"W-whoa there, you're being pessimistic…" Maki said.

"No, I hate to say it but I agree with her…. we don't know what we are truly dealing with… this might be a last battle for some of us…" Eli said.

"Now-now, I don't want to agree with that. We all will make it out alive… or at least, everyone around us will. We might be screwing up things during the battle, but, look at Rin! Look at Niko! Look at Hanayo! They've been dealing with problems all the time…" Maki tried to reassure.

"Still though— what if you're wrong?" Eli asked.

"I'm not going to be wrong in this. Because I'll make it right…"

Umi and Eli remained quiet for a moment before they chuckled and smiled faintly.

"Then…let's do our best to make it right…" Eli said in her chuckle,

"Yes, that's true… let's make things right even if it goes wrong.…" Umi added.

"You two are mocking me!"

"Sorry— but I can't help it. It's just very unrealistic for a war to not have anyone fall. I thought you knew that…." Eli said.

"I know! That's why I hate being a soldier!" Maki replied.

"Even if there's a magic to rise the dead— then it must be a magic that cost a lot of power. Because it's against the nature itself… you don't want to be a burden for the mages, right? They've put their life on the line as well… they don't need to make more fuss about resurrecting the dead…" Eli said.

Maki frowned deeply and just before anything else— she quickly hit Eli on the face.

"No one is going to be dead! Not one of us!" Maki yelled.

Eli touched her cheek as she glanced at her junior sharply,

"Maki… you're demanding too much for it to happen— if you do that, you'll regret it a lot…" Umi said. The red haired girl turned her sight towards the voice and punched her blue-haired senior.

"What about you? Being too realistic—being too pessimistic! I'm sick of trying to be like that. I want a world where everyone can live in peace and ha—…"

Before Maki managed to finish, Eli punched her with her left hand,

"Nothing like that can be happen. Wake up! It's not even a dream to start with!" Eli said.

Then just right after she finished talking, Maki responded it with a swift kick to the blonde's face.

"The reason why it can't happen is because people always think like you…"

And just as the the red-head finished speaking, Umi threw a punch at her junior's face,

"And the reason why this world screwed up is because people think positively about everything and forgetting that bad things can happen…"

Then suddenly…

The blonde hit Umi's face.

"Eli! What was that for?!" Umi protested.

"No reason…" Eli smiled playfully.

"You just wanted to hit me, huh?!"

"Maybe?"

And the dark blue haired soldier hit her senior back on the same spot as where she got hit.

"Then don't think you can get off the hook with it!"

Then Maki once again made a swift punch to Umi,

"Don't forget me!"

"Of course I won't!" Umi responded with a swift kick though Maki dodged it,

"Is that all you got?" and she unexpectedly made a swift kick— to Eli.

"Whoa!" Eli shielded herself with her right arm.

"That was tough right arm you got here… why have you never showed its power to us?"

"You just don't want to feel it!" Eli moved quickly as she attempted to hit Maki with her right arm—which was completely dodged.

"Too slow!"

"You want to get serious? Then let's get serious!"

* * *

The µ's ship;

Niko, Rin, and Honoka busied themselves by searching through their office,

"I wonder what the deal is between the light and dark mages with the endless citadel, other than the fact that they are the ones who created the citadel's power and curse…" Honoka said.

"I'm not sure, but, Nozomi said, she has nothing to say about her mother…. I wonder why she refuses to talk about her mother anyway, it might be important…." Niko replied as she searched through the computer.

"I wonder if Eli-chan knows-nya…." Rin said as she looked through the printed files.

"Eli… well— I think she knows almost everything about her… but what if she refuses to talk as well?"

"Bribe her? With chocolate?" Honoka asked.

"I don't think it's going to be that simple…" Niko smirked,

"Ooohh! I found it-nya! The documents about the last evidence of the Endless Citadel!"

"Great job, Rin-chan, now let me look…" Niko quickly stood up taking the files that Rin held in her hands as Honoka joined them quickly a second later,

"Hmm…. it says, they found a monument that was built by them, saying that the endless citadel is their greatest masterpiece. They wanted to keep their greatness a secret, but the world needed to know about it…"

"Oo…they're very confident-nya!"

"Heh— yes… bunch of arrogant people…" Niko commented.

"….the endless citadel is the end to all sorrow and a heaven of knowledge… created by the most brilliant for they who want to be god-like… only those who are chosen by the god can live here— and those people are they who held the sign of god…" Honoka continued the reading.

"What is this god bullshit they're talking about? I thought the age of having god-talks already expired long-long time ago…" Niko said.

"They must be fanatics about it…" Honoka said.

"Why are all fanatics insane-nya?" Rin asked.

"I wouldn't know! I'm not fanatic!"

"Hmm…I wonder if Tsubasa-chan will say anything about this…." Honoka said.

"Well, she is the one who asked us to find the documents—of course she will say something!"

"Let's go contact her-nya!"

"Yup! Let's go! Let's go!"

* * *

Toujou's residence—The Underground garage;

The three mages and Alisa stared into the white board as they held a piece of paper with sentences written on it…

Hanayo took a careful look at her paper and decided to start writing on her own using the collected sentences— the same thing done by both of the older mages while Alisa wondered about what they were writing.

"Uhhmm…. Why did it suddenly become so quiet?" Alisa asked.

The mages didn't respond.

"You're all focusing, alright…uh…." Alisa started to get nervous.

The silence was kept for a couple of minutes, until one of the mages started to whine,

"Aaah! This is too difficult! I'm not good at arranging spells!" Kotori said.

"S-spells?!" Alisa raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, this really sounds like some sort of spell to us…" Hanayo said.

"One of the exam in school had something like this, from many sentences into one spell… usually, anyone who has a natural Light or Dark element will excel in this…" Nozomi replied.

"Huh? Dark and Light Element? So… you're saying that you have students with light and dark elements?"

"Well, yes, but not many are qualified as mages since they often abandon the power and decide to be something else…" Nozomi replied.

"Not all of those students can be called mages before they managed to pass the test as one… it's not an easy test— so that's why when you say your mother is a light mage, then you're implying that she is qualified as a light mage." Hanayo explained.

"Holding magic power is not easy, if you never practice them, they'll be gone with time…" Kotori added.

"Ah—then, uhm…pardon me for the mistake. My mother is no longer a light mage then…" Alisa said.

Nozomi chuckled,

"Then you can call my mother no longer a dark mage— and I'm not a dark mage either. I practiced mind magic more than the element itself. The only dark magic I still use is shadow teleportation… but, most mind mages know that… plus— my mother was also more known as a mind mage than a dark mage…"

"My mother…well…she never used any magic again. She said, she is tired of it… she wants to live like how humans are supposed to be…."

"Like how humans are supposed to be? That's a funny sentence…" Nozomi said.

"Aren't we all living as how humans are supposed to be?" Hanayo asked.

"Uhn…I was about to ask the same thing…" Kotori added.

"She said, humans aren't supposed to be depending on magic… because magic makes us prideful, magic made us forget who the true God is…" Alisa said.

"Hmm…. I wouldn't say anything like that— magic is a gift from the God Himself, so that we mages can serve others— protect what we are supposed to protect…." Nozomi replied.

"….my mother also said, cyber technology is the best way to make us all remember that we're still living being that depend on each other. The concept of Terra wasn't that bad if only they don't force us to fight in a real battlefield…"

"Is that why she moved to Terra?"

"I'm not sure…." Alisa replied with doubt.

"Anyway, we might take a long time to decode this, why don't you and Eli-chan go back home and get some nice family reunion…?" Kotori suggested.

"E-Eh? Is that okay?" Alisa asked.

"Yup, you can do that… we also have a steam-bike to ride on... Eli-chan can drive it…" Hanayo said.

"That's right! Rather than brawling outside, Ericchi should just go home and get some warm hug from your parents…" Nozomi said.

"Brawling…?" Alisa, Kotori and Hanayo tilts their head.

"Trust me, they're currently brawling outside…."

* * *

Terra—the server room;

An old man walked around the server room as a woman sat on her desk, smirking and crossing her arms as she stared into the old man.

"Just when will you get out of here? We're already traveling a lot of galaxies…" the woman said,

"Now-now, Mrs. Terra…. You should've known that I'm here to make sure that you're doing things according to the plan…"

"What plan? Sheesh…. I have no other plan than to deal with the damned pirate invasion…"

"You promised that you'll help them!" The old man said.

"I did! I already let my best soldiers go with them…!"

"That's not enough, they can't fight a whole army of pirates and stop the endless citadel from moving…."

"And we can't just leave the other planet invaded!"

"If only you believed in magic, I can stop each of their ships within seconds…"

"That's impossible, old man, you're dreaming!"

"What if I'm not? Will you send all of your armies to fight off the pirate thats heading to earth?"

"Huh? Well…I do know they're going to attack earth, but isn't that supposed to be one month from now?"

"The visible one, of course… but the ones moving along with the endless citadel are not…."

"W-what?! You mean, they are coming earlier?!"

"No… the pirates you are talking about are not— but the one that you're not talking about is!"

"W-what does that even mean?!"

"It means what it means! You should hurry up and send your quickest army… I'll help you out…"

"D-darn it! You should've said it earlier!"

"I did, but you don't want to listen…"

"J-Just—shut the hell up, old man! I'll work now!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, Living room;

"Umi-chan! Don't do that again! It's scary!" Kotori begged as she tended to Umi's bruises with her potion.

"Why would you all do this? I-I mean, it's dangerous!" Hanayo said as she examined Maki's wound and used her healing magic on it.

"Ah– well, we were just… having a little fun— and got carried away…" Umi replied.

"Sorry, that was me who started it…" Maki said.

"Yeah— and it's just for some fun anyway. We won't be able to do that again later…." Umi added.

"Heh—that's what I thought to. In all honesty, I didn't even start it because I disagreed, I started it because I wanted to…"

"And I think Eli knew that…" Umi smiled faintly,

"Yeah….she hit you out of nowhere too, huh?"

And the two soldiers chuckled,

"Wh-why are you two doing this like it was nothing bad, this is bad! You shouldn't hit each other!" Kotori frowned.

"But it's not called as brawling for nothing, Kotori-chan…" Nozomi said.

"E-Eh?" Kotori flustered.

"Did you forget? That's just how they show their point… they're soldiers after all, they need it just like how we need our magic practice…"

"Hmmm….is that so? Then I guess I can let it go…." Kotori replied.

"Yup, that's what you should do…"

"Speaking of which though, I wonder if Eli-chan is going to be alright…?" Hanayo asked.

"Yup, she is. She is only going to meet up with her family after all. I can already imagine how she will get a warm hug…."

"A warm hug…..huh? Hmmm…. That must be sweet… Eli-chan must be really happy to be re-united."

"I think so too, that's why I'm not going to spy on her right now. I totally want to hear out her story after she returns…" Nozomi said.

"Hehe—uh…wait…Spy on her?" Kotori raised her eyebrow.

The room becomes quiet.

"What's wrong with spying on my own girlfriend? How else can I make myself believe that she isn't cheating?"

"T-That's not the point of being in relationship sheesh! I mean! I thought you believe in her! You shouldn't spy on her! Take off the spell!" Kotori yelled.

"W-what spell?" Umi asked.

"There's a spell that allows someone to see what others see and hear what others hear, it's like the typical crystal ball spell, except you don't need the actual crystal ball… and the victim might never know if he or she are being spied on….either way though, Nozomi-chan! Take it off!"

"That was her fault! Not mine! She checked out almost every girl's breast! Of course I get suspicious!" Nozomi yelled back.

"E-Ehh!?"

"Yes! Ericchi likes to check out others, even if she is already walking along side with me!"

"Oh…." Kotori soften her expression,

"Then I guess you're on the right track, huh? Have you seen anything bad from that?" Maki asked.

"I swear her eyes are so naughty. She even likes to check on other's cleavage, I'm really jealous! You know! Extremely jealous! That's why I want to keep her with constant daily intimacy to keep her off from looking at another!"

"Wow…Eli…. I'm glad I gave her some right punches before…" Umi sighed.

"Old habits die hard…" Maki sighed heavily.

"If that's the case, Nozomi-chan, then I'll encourage you to keep spying on her!" Kotori said.

"Yup… I'll spy on her every time she gets far from me!"

* * *

Somewhere around the city,

Alisa sat on the passenger seat as Eli drove the steam bike.

"Am I going to the right way, Alisa?" Eli asked,

"Yep— just keep going straight, Onee-san, I'll tell you when it's close to where we should to go left…"

"Alright…" Eli replied as she pedaled faster on her bike

"By the way, Onee-san, when did you start dating Nozomi-san?" Alisa asked.

"Almost a year ago perhaps? I've never expected her to be my girlfriend in my first meeting with her…"

"Oh?"

"She is really something, you know. A lot of things can happen when she is around…. And you can't even use your logic to expect it to happen…"

"Ah, really? I wonder if you can give me an example…"

"Hmm…example, huh? Well, maybe I can tell you about how she killed both the Angra Twins within seconds… but there's a lot more interesting stories that you can hear about her…." Eli replied.

"Oh?! Well, the other one seems to be interesting enough, what about the others?"

"She is unexpectedly a very religious person, but she has never shown how deep her faith is to anyone nor mentioning the God Himself out of nowhere… I've never asked about it either, because I think, she don't want to show off her powerful faith…"

"Hmm…I..it's hard to believe that, because…she is very well known as a murderer here…"

"Honestly…. Even though I know about that— I've never seen her as a murderer, because all she wants is to survive and…. I understand how it feels when we get overwhelmed by fear… it's hard to think straight and it's hard to choose what to do as well…"

"Oh….."

"She may never mention that either—and admit that she likes to do it because she enjoys it, but truth is that she feared a lot of people back then… she doesn't want to look weak so she covered it up by being aggressive…"

"Onee-san, I didn't expect you to be very understanding…"

"Me? No…I don't think so… I'm just speaking from experience…"

"Speaking from experience…. Does that mean, Onee-san is….?"

Eli chuckled,

"Yes, I did that too, a lot… I'm always so scared about going to war, so I went aggressive— but I learned to be tactical as well… I didn't expect it to make me look so bad though…. I'm glad Maki joined in and started to take the blame for the brutality of the enemy's death…now she gets the good name as an assassin…"

"Oh…hehe, Onee-san, you're bad…"

"Don't blame me, that's what they judge anyway… not me…"

"Hehe— by the way, tell me more about you and Nozomi-chan…. I mean, I've never expect anyone to like her…. she doesn't look that friendly… even though she is kind of cute…"

"Me and Nozomi…? Hmm…. We're good with each other, that's all I can say. She is very supportive…also very selfish at the same time. But…I enjoy giving her what she wants… because she will return the kindness by giving me something else later…"

"Like what?"

Eli giggled,

"I can't tell you, but… there's something that I get daily from her… and that's something that I need for some reason. I don't know why though…. but anyway, don't tell her that I need anything— she will tease me all day about it…"

"Oh… ok…"

"I always say that it was her that needs it, but it was me who needs it more. I'm such a loser at times…"

"Aren't you always a loser though?"

"Alisa…."

Alisa giggled,

"Joking, Onee-san, you're not…"

"Sheesh, you're not going to tease me like that in front of her, ok?"

"Hehe…Ok!"

* * *

Toujou's residence, underground garage;

Kotori, Hanayo, Nozomi, Umi and Maki walked back down to the garage— though as they were about to enter, Nozomi felt something different inside.

"Hmm…something is off… someone is here before us…" she said.

"What is?" Maki asked.

"Maybe Niko and the others returned?" Umi asked.

"Maybe…" Nozomi replied before she lift her hand to solve the door puzzle.

She doubted for a second, though she decided to open the door…

"Valkyrie Minami?" Nozomi called the figure who stood inside the garage near a white and gold personal space ship.

"Ah, Nozomi-chan, why did you—…." She paused as her eyes met with the younger mage with same hair color with her.

"Kotori…." She whispered.

"Mother…." Kotori whispered back.

The room went quiet for a moment…

"Ah…ahaha…. You're busy with Nozomi-chan, right? It's fine, take your time…" Kotori said with a faked smile.

Valkyrie Minami smiled faintly,

"Yes… Sorry…. I… I have business here…" she said.

"I-I know…mother… you're busy… I….I'll go ahead to pick up my work…" Kotori said before she quickly walked in to the room—picked up the paper she was working on and left the room without words. As she was about to walk swiftly away from the garage, Umi seems to be concerned and decided to make a polite gesture before following up with Kotori.

Hanayo and Maki looked flustered for a moment, though they decided to just go ahead into the room and do the same as Kotori.

Nozomi remained quiet as she watched them leave.

"That was an awkward encounter… why you didn't stop her?"

"She is doing what she thinks is best… I can't say anything about it…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Right…she is your daughter after all— I can't say anything about it either. You're the one who has the right to teach her what to do and what not to do…" Nozomi replied with a slight sarcasm.

Valkyrie Minami sighed weakly,

"Let's put that aside for now. Why did you call me?"

"Because I see you in my garage?" Nozomi replied.

"No… I mean— why did you call me to earth?"

"I never called you here… are you drunk?"

"What? But… I was called here…. The others said that you called me…"

"I didn't…. I was too busy with everything around here, why would I call you?"

Valkyrie Minami tilts her head slightly,

"Nozomi-chan, you're not joking with me, right? I mean, they really said that you called me…"

"No, I never called you today… the only call I made is for the police to get their ass here so we can get them to unlock something for us—but that would be for those funky trio after they found the old case documents… beside, aren't you supposed to give out the briefing once again? This is close to the date that I predict…" Nozomi said.

Valkyrie Minami remained quiet for a moment before she quickly looked for a calendar.

"Darn it, yes, today is supposed to be the day for briefing… I did schedule it!"

"You better go back— I wasn't joking about the army of pirates invade before the endless citadel arrives…"

"I know— I'll go ahead. Sorry for the trouble…" and just within seconds, Valkyrie Minami ran back to her ship and drove out of the garage.

With a frown on her face, Nozomi clenched her fist as she watched the ship leave in a hurry.

* * *

Somewhere around the city;

A big mansion with large a front yard and tall gates surrounding it— Eli didn't expect it to ever witness such a grand place, especially when she can call that place as a home. A lot of strange sculptures and paintings were displayed around the hall, also not to forget a few other things that Eli has never seen before.

"Uh...sorry if you see something that you don't want to see, papa likes to keep a lot of things— even if we already have too much. But he said he wanted to exhibit it in a gallery soon after the town is finished with it…" Alisa explained as she led her sister further into the building.

"It's hard to maintain the house— without much workers, I mean. Mama is very picky when choosing a worker, she said, she wants high quality workers only…" she continued.

"That'll always be the case for her, right?" Eli said with a gentle smile.

"Yup, she is too much of a perfectionist… it's hard to please her, even papa says so…"

"I'm glad she hasn't changed then…" the older blonde said.

"Hehe, yup, and oh! Also— we were discussing about getting a pet for this mansion, but we can't find a proper pet yet… I wonder if you have any good ideas? I mean, you know, a less destructive pet…"

"Hmm..No, I'm not very good at that, but maybe Nozomi will know?" Eli said.

"Ah— right, we should ask her, she is the one who knows more about it, right?"

"Yup, she lived here longer than me after all…"

Alisa nodded and opened the door to go inside to the house..

"Papa! Mama! Guess who I brought home today!" Alisa said cheerfully.

"Is that Yukiho again?" said a man with blonde hair.

"Nope…"

"Ah, finally, a new friend!" said a woman with pale blonde hair.

"Sheesh! Yukiho is not the only friend! I have plenty! But anyway, is not a friend!"

"A boyfriend? A girlfriend?"

"No-no! Not that either!"

"A new pet?"

"No!"

"Ok, we give up… who is it that you brought home?"

"Hehe…well…." Alisa quickly grabbed the older blonde's hand and pulled her to where she was standing.

"Onee-san is back—and alive!"

As the man and woman met the eyes of the young soldier, their eyes went wide in surprise…

"Eli….." the man said first before he ran in and hugged her tight.

"Papa….I'm home…." Eli replied him with a warm hug as well.

"Sorry…. I thought you didn't make it…." he whispered,

"No, it's fine, papa, let's forget about that…." Eli replied with the same hushed tone.

As her father tried to look again at his daughter— a metal arm could be seen through behind her white shirt, the similar hair color and the similar face shape.

"You're growing beautifully…. But why are you nothing like your mother….?" he said.

Eli chuckled,

"You know mama is the most beautiful lady, I can't possibly be like her." she said.

Her father smiled and turned around to look at her mother,

"See, mama? This is the real Eli that I know…. why don't you come here and give her a warm hug?"

Her mother only replied with a faint smile,

"Papa…did you forget that I'm in the middle of cleaning? I can't possibly hug my daughter when I'm wearing dirty clothes…"

"Oh? Right…."

"Sheesh, mama, you should've left it to the maids…. Now Onee-san has to wait for your hug!" Alisa said.

Her mother giggled,

"I know, I'm sorry… but cleaning is one of my hobbies…"

"As perfectionist as ever, mother?" Eli said playfully.

Once again, a giggle was heard as a response,

"You can say that…" she replied with a somewhat strange smile.

Eli noticed it, though she decided to stay quiet about it,

"Alisa, why don't you go fetch some grocery? We'll have a good dinner tonight to welcome our guest…"

"Oh! But…. we have to return by tonight, because, we're currently in the middle of work…."

"Work… don't tell me, it's still about the Endless citadel?" her mother asked.

"Yes… the others are still trying to recollect materials from our current information… the mages, including Toujou Nozomi—…."

As her was name spoken, her mother seemed to be surprised,

"—are still currently working on a spell, we managed to collect those who held the sentences…and they said, the spell could take a while— that's why we're here for a break. But, I'll still get some grocery so you two can have a nice dinner date!"

"That's kind of you, Alisa! Your mother does need her romantic side out for a while!" her father said.

"There…. But anyway, why don't you come up with me, Eli…? I have a few things that you might want to take to your friends later…" her mother said.

"Of course, mother… I'll go…" Eli replied with a cheerful smile.

* * *

Valhalla;

Valkyrie Minami landed on the parking lot and just within seconds, she dash out of her ship and headed to the hallway—which somehow is very crowded with the einhenjars and valkyries.

"Ah, Valkyrie Minami!" a valkyrie said as she approached her and pat her back,

"Were you nervous in today's briefing? You rarely talked like a mad dog…"

"What?" Valkyrie Minami flustered.

"We all saw that, Valkyrie Minami, you just made a horrible briefing… none of us understood you— but at least you gave us a nice map that we could understand…" the Valkyrie said.

"But….I just returned from earth…. I haven't made any briefing today!" Valkyrie Minami said.

"huh? Really? But we totally saw you today… on the stage…."

"Oh God! No! That wasn't me! let me look at the map!"

And just before Valkyrie Minami managed to get her hands on the map….

A loud scream was heard from a room. Everyone in the hallway turned their head to the source of the voice,

Valkyrie Minami and some other Valkyries quickly ran to approach the source of voice….

"Commander Lenora!" a valkyrie said as they all saw an old woman hanging on the wall with a spear stabbed from her mouth down to her back, both of her hands holding the spear as though she was trying to hold it off her. A pool of blood splattered onto the floor and tattered papers scattered everywhere around the room.

"This is….horrible….." Valkyrie Minami said weakly.

"Commander Lenora Randgrid…." Said another valkyrie weakly before they closed her eyes to pray for her.

"May you rest in peace…."

* * *

The Earth, Ayase's residence— workroom;

Eli followed her mother up until the workroom, where a lot of weapons were displayed on the rack alongside sculptures and armors.

"Wow, mama, is this your workroom?" Eli asked,

"No, this is your papa's workroom. He really likes collecting weapon and armors…" she replied without looking back to her daughter.

"It's really cool. I'm taking so much interest with weapons and armors— I even made my own weapon upgrades! Check out my weapon, mama…" Eli took out her weapon— a cyber-technology sword-axe.

"I won it from a competition…. And it's called as, the end of ordinary sorrow…. Everyone called it as TEoS…" Eli said proudly. Her mother turned around— with a frown on her face, though as her face was seen by her daughter, her expression changed completely,

"Ah? Is that so? You must be a very tough one…."

"Of course! I'm Ayase Eli after all, I can win anything at ease, but…even though, it doesn't look like it now, but, I'm still the clever and cute Elichika, right?"

"Yup, you're still my clever and cute Elichika…." Her mother replied as she held an axe from the display rack.

"Oh, I also reached the first rank during my last few semesters… It's funny that when I didn't aim for it, I managed to reach it… amazing, right?"

"Yep…." Her mother carried the axe on her hand.

"What axe is that, mama? It looks neat…" Eli said.

"Oh? This….? well…" her mother remained quiet for a moment….

Eli tilts her head innocently as she waited for a response….

And just when she thought she would be responded with words….

Her mother swings the axe roughly at her— which she quickly parried with her own weapon and caused her mother's axe to break instantly as it recoiled from her weapon.

"W-whoa! What was that for, mama?" Eli asked, slightly panicked.

"Hehe…. This is just a test— you seemed to be so proud of your achievements, so I had to test it out…"

"Oh! I see! Well...if that's the case, then I'm ready to take another test!" Eli said cheerfully.

Her mother smiled faintly again,

"Well, why don't you put your weapon down, fight with your own hands…?"

"Ah, I can do that too. I'm very used to it…" Eli put down her weapon. Her mother approaches it and picks it up— surprisingly, her mother doesn't seem to have a problem with the weight of the axe as she lift it with one arm.

"Harasho… you can pick that up so easily… my girlfriend had to use both hands…"

"Don't forget that your mother used to be a good soldier like you, except, I was an assassin…"

"I know, that's how you keep your body posture, right?"

"Yes… you're truly my daughter…. But wait– you said, you have a girlfriend…. Who is this girlfriend?"

"Toujou Nozomi…mama, she is my girlfriend… I hope you don't mind with her reputation… but I have to tell you, she is a very kind and caring person in fact…"

"Most excellent… Toujou Nozomi, huh? Your papa used to want to marry you with the Toujou Family… but it was canceled because Toujou-san went missing for some unknown reason…."

"They're dead, Nozomi lived alone ever since she is a little…"

"Ah, poor girl…" her mother smiled—strangely…

Eli kept her innocent eyes looking at her mother— who suddenly made a very swift swing with TEoS on her hand. Eli quickly parried it with her right arm.

"That was dangerous! Mama! TEoS is strong!" Eli said.

Her mother looked unamused, though she faked a smile,

"Your right arm seems to be stronger though… where did you get it?"

"This? This is from the Valkyrie… they wanted to recruit me….so… they have been bribing me with a lot of things… but the decision is still mine and…I just don't want to fight again… I want to live peacefully on earth with Nozomi…"

"Poor them… I believe they really wanted to have a great soldier like you…." she replied—still with a strange smile.

Eli sweetly smiled back at her—despite knowing the meaning of the smile that was currently given by her mother,

"I just want to choose a path where I can be comfortable at…"

"Oh…." the woman's eyes focused on a dagger with a vial of poison inside the handle which laid on the desk behind her daughter.

"You're choosing the right path, Elichika…. I'm proud of you…. I really want to give you a hug…." She said.

"Go on, mama— give me a hug, it's not like I've never hug anything dirtier… I'm a soldier, remember?"

"Ah, you're right…" her mother replied before she quickly moved towards her daughter to give her a hug.

"I really miss you…mama… I really want you to know that I still love you…." Eli said.

Her mother closed her eyes as the poison dagger on the desk moved on its own, floating to the grab of the older woman.

"I really miss you too, Eli…. But….I really need you to die…"

Eli widen her eyes as she heard it— and just before she could react, a dagger was stabbed right onto her back.

"Mama…?"

"I'm really sorry…. but you really have to die… for the sake of all of us…. Especially for your sister…"

"W-what do you mean….?"

"I need to survive… so that I can make sure everything goes right…"

Eli could feel something injected into her wound.

"This may not kill you directly…. But…. it will destroy you eventually… and that's all I need…."

"Why…..?" Eli asked with a whisper.

"Because…. I rather see you die than to see you suffer…." Her mother whispered back as she released her daughter.

The soldier fell on her knee, still with the dagger on her back.

"Alisa told me…. she finally found many pieces that will unveil the mystery of the endless citadel and the corruption …."

Eli fell to the floor, blood started to run out from her back,

"I wouldn't be worried …since I doubt the team that she met will be able to unveil it… but…to see you in it…. it makes me really worried…. You're a clever one…and a strong one…. you can unveil the mystery…alongside with that Toujou bitch's daughter—which I surprisingly overseen…."

"Mama….how could you call her….."

"Yes….you heard me, my daughter… you hear me right… I called her Toujou bitch… she is nothing but a heartbreaker…"

"W-what…..?" Eli struggled with her wounds,

"She was my sweetheart… but then she married a man out of nowhere…. Plus…she never told me about it…. I wasn't even invited to her wedding… do you think I'll be happy?"

"You can't be serious….."

"You can say that…because you've never felt what I feel…. but…. I met your father…who apparently holds the biggest space pirate colony…. His intention to create it is good— to show that the world can be stronger if united… by mixing two technologies in one colony…. Who knows such man can be so charming…?"

"…and the best thing about marrying your father….is because he…is such a dork who knows nothing about trickery…. He is too innocent to be the big boss of the pirates… so I took over the reign…and used his authority to murder that Toujou Bitch and her family— but I made it look like just a casual pirate attack…to the small village out of nowhere…"

Eli bit her lips as she listened to her mother,

"….do you know what I told them to do when they sighted that Toujou bitch?"

"I….I don't want to hear it….." Eli struggled,

"You want to? Well… I told them…rape her…and kill her— then feed her to the sharks… so that no one knows where she truly is…" she said with a mischievous smile.

"Mama…you're…" Eli frowned,

"You can say anything about me, but it was that Toujou bitch who started this…. don't sweat it though, after you die—next is to blow up that endless citadel so that there will be no more memory about me and that Toujou bitch…. It's funny that anyone can be thrown off with the curse rumor…. They should've known that it was nothing but a fraud, made up with a little essence of science and magic that mixed up together… lastly, I'll be able to live in peace…I promise I will not make any crime again…."

Eli tried to get up, but her body felt too weak to move.

"Hmm…. too bad that damned Lenora Randgrid isn't here to snoop around— she could've had a reason to catch me if she saw this…. but now— I can't let you die here… will you go away?"

"I….I can't believe this… are you truly my mother?"

"What about you? Are you truly my daughter? My first daughter died long ago…and I've never known a cyborg daughter like you…."

"Mama…." She called her once again as she tried her best to get up but failed badly.

"You can't move? Then let me help you…"

Her mother casted a spell on her, slowly teleporting her with the power of light…

"Weak ass…. Just like your father…" the woman said as she watched her daughter leave.

"Don't ever come back…"

* * *

Toujou's residence, living room;

Kotori, Umi, Maki and Hanayo remain in the living room as they look at the paper works,

"This is still too difficult for us to solve…I mean, no matter how hard we try, we can't get the sentence together…." Hanayo said.

"Uhh…I wonder if Honoka-chan will return here any sooner…" Kotori said.

"She must be slacking, I'll go find her…" Umi quickly stood up.

"W-wah! Wah! Umi-chan! Just stay here… it's fine to wait for her, we're not in a hurry…." Kotori said.

"Heh— but aren't they supposed to get here with the documents? I mean, what if the documents have the clues to solve this?"

"I'm pretty sure it will…"

"Well, I can already solve this if it was only about the alchemy recipe. I mean… if we put some current clues together, we will make a recipe to create a homunculus— or let's say an empty vessel…" Kotori said.

"Didn't Alisa said, it's a recipe to make a decoy? Then— homunculus should be what we can call as decoy…"

"That's true, but there might be some other instructions to it that we need to know…. plus, we don't even know what it truly says— I might be wrong…" Kotori replied.

"How do you know it's a recipe to make homunculus?" Maki asked.

"It's in the old book… alongside with the story about necromancy and Marionette magic….there's also some sort of a way to transfer one vessel to another vessel, usually done by powerful necromancers to make themselves appear to be reborn as a younger version or attractive version of themselves….it's pretty tricky tough—because you need to be able to draw the image of the homunculus…"

"Ah—I see…"

"It's not easy to do that.. some say that it has to be done in a place where spiritual power is above the standard level… which is usually up above the mountains…"

"Interesting…"

"….and to make the homunculus, we will also need a lot of materials— which is also not easy to find… the right materials should be able to create a normal homunculus, but with extra ordinary materials, we can make a better quality of homunculus… then we also need to find a place where spiritual power is above the standard level—but not too much wind like above the mountain because it's hard to maintain the quality with too much wind. The dark forest should do the trick…"

"I see… but, why are we working out to make such things?"

"That's why we need to solve the mystery first so we know why we need to make homunculus…"

"You're right…we wouldn't know before we can do that…"

And suddenly, they could see Nozomi walking out in a hurry.

"Nozomi-chan? What's wrong…?" Kotori asked,

Nozomi stopped for a moment,

"Something is wrong… I need to find Ericchi…" she said.

"E-Eh?!"

"I've put some clues together, placed it in garage, all of you better go there and check it out…"

And just right after she said it, she stormed out of the house without another word.

* * *

The Police station;

Tsubasa, Erena, and Anjuu prepared themselves to dispatch to earth— but…

"Excuse me, Erena…." Leyna said.

"What's wrong, Leyna? You're already off the hook for now…"

"Yes…I know… but…. I just wonder…. Where did you put my spear and my sword?"

"I told you everything should be on the rack, you saw me put it there…"

"I know I did, but… there's nothing on the rack…" Leyna said.

"What?" Erena frowned before she quickly moved to check on the rack.

"It's gone…." Erena widen her eyes,

"I already tried to look for a while, but I couldn't find it anywhere…. Do you all happen to have any other visitor today? They might've taken it…"

"Visitor? Well… we only know you as our visitor today… and no one else…"

"Weird… but… it's something very important to me… the sword is my recruiter sword, without it, I can't recruit anyone… then the spear is to end one's soul eternally—which mean that they will never be a ghost or anything like it."

"That….sounds dangerous…."

"It is…."

"We need to find it…"

And just before they were able to do anything else, there was a phone call which Tsubasa quickly jumped to accept,

"Hello, police station here with Kira Tsubasa on service duty!"

"Ah, this is Valkyrie Minami reporting, there has been a murder on our ship… and we found Leyna's spear as the murder weapon…. You happen to still have that valkyrie in your custody, right?"

"Yes…."

"Then she certainly not the murder at this case…. Someone else is!"

* * *

The Dark Forest;

It was dark and cold— a few pair of glowing eyes watching through the darkness, piercing their sight into a dying soldier, who crawled through, in her fear,

_I…..It's so dark…._

She thought.

_I can't see anything…but at least, I'm glad I was teleported here…. Else I wouldn't know where I truly am…._

She struggled painfully.

_I can find that place….. then return back to the village to warn her….._

She tried to keep moving despite the blood and the crumbling flesh—slowly showing her iron muscles and bone which were not affected with the poison.

_I'm not sure which I should fear most right now… to die before I could warn her…or to be in this darkness… _

_No…_

_I can't die…. Not before I could warn her….or at least, save her…._

_Ah…yes….I can….. I can save her…._

The soldier got up slowly—realizing that part of her flesh has crumbled and revealed the iron bones which she didn't expect to be existed within her….

_Oh….so they replaced my other bones as well…. I never knew until now…_

_I guess it's because the original one wouldn't be able to hold the weight of the muscles? _

_Such an amazing technology…._

As she kept on moving—she could see a hint of light across the forest,

_I'm so close…. _

_I can make it…._

_Yes I can…._

_I can't be more positive thinking than now…_

She kept moving on as the pain started to disappear.

As she managed to reach the light…

And on the familiar place that she knew so well…

_This is…. where she took me before…._

_A place where she showed me her spiritual power…_

She chuckled,

_Harasho…._

_Now I'm sure I know my way to the village…_

_And as she is about to start to move…_

"Where you going….?"

Said a familiar voice…

Eli turned around with a frown on her face,

"Eir… I don't have time for a game…." She replied.

"I'm not trying to play a game with you…. I'm here to save you…."

"To…save me….?" Eli flustered.

"Yes…to save you….. I'm here to save you…."

"How….?"

"By inviting you to join the Valkyrie…of course…. I've been trying to do so…. Yet that Dark Mage keeps getting in my way…"

"Dark…mage….? You mean….Nozomi…..?"

"Who else?"

"But why…. Why did you suddenly come to save me?"

"Didn't I tell you? You're the only one that I recognize as my rival… so…. I want you to keep living… that way, my life will always have an entertainment to play on…"

Eli smiled mockingly,

"You shouldn't play things too hard, you know…. your mother will mind it…."

"She is longer exists…." Eir said coldly.

Eli remained in silence,

"She is no more… someone killed her today…."

"Hah— are you the killer?"

"You're such a big mouthed one… but I'm not going to take that as an offense. This is a time where kindness is needed at most…. Come join us….so that you can live and protect more people… you always wanted to do it….right?"

"I don't want to battle myself out…."

"But life is a battle, you can't live without one… it is your fate to become an eternal soldier, and it is your fate to become the guardian of all….please consider it, Eli…"

"I want to meet Nozomi….once again before I decide…"

"Do you think she will come? Or…to begin with…. Do you think she cares?"

Eli remained quiet.

"I've known her for long as I watch over her…. she doesn't care about you….all she cares about is only a world where she can live in peace…. She has never kept any feelings for you— only lust and nothing more…. Once this is all over, she will dump you without warning….and marry another… just like what her mother did to your mother…."

Eli still quiet….

"Think about it, Eli…. Your mother has told you a truth from her experience…. And you know what everyone says? If a mother has done something bad— then her daughter will do the same one day… are you seriously going to trust her for your love?"

"I…..I don't know…."

"See? It's no use in believing her… you have to see from the past…and learn…. This is your time to change your own future… this is your time to make a different fortune…"

Eli still doubting….

"I want to believe in Nozomi….can I have some time to wait for her….?" Eli asked.

"You're dying…. She will never come to see you….. she's probably too busy with her own business right now. You're wasting your last life time…."

_She is right….._

_What if she never comes….?_

_And….even if she came…. What if Eir was right about it?_

_What if she dumps me for another…..?_

_Just like what her mother did to my mother….?_

_What should I do…..?_

* * *

**Ok, there it is the turning point. Hope you still enjoy it!**


	27. BE :The End of Sorrow for Pure Love Lens

**Thanks for the edits to crimson!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/and follows!**

* * *

"So….. are you going to tell me what you want to do….?"

Her voice was loud and clear. Eli took a deep breath….

"Have you finally made your decision?" once again she asked.

"I….[I'm going to join you…]…."

Her response caused the stronger woman to smile,

"So you finally decided…. Huh? You're really going to join the Valkyrie.."

"Yes…. You were right….there's no point for me to wait for an empty promise… I won't be fooled by her charm…even though…I've kept a lot of feelings for her…and I doubt I'll lose it any sooner…."

"Love is nothing more than a lie, you're a warrior, you shouldn't fall in love…"

"I know…. this is a mistake…."

"Good… this should be your end of sorrow…. Be prepared…" Eir took out a shining sword with amethyst attached on its handle, decorated with golden wings and exquisite details spread across the silver blade.

"Say hello to the other Valkyries for me, ok?" Eir smiled mischievously before she thrust the sword deep to Eli's heart.

As the azure eyes slowly came to a close…the sound of horse steps were heard from the distance…

"Ericchi!" The blonde heard a familiar faint cry.

"N…Nozomi….." she replied with a whisper before everything eventually turned dark and unnaturally quiet.

_It__'__s__…__.getting__…_ _dark__…__._

_I__'__m sorry__…__..Nozomi__…__._

_It__'__s over__…__._

* * *

Toujou's residence— living room;

A week passed, and the research was at a standstill…

"Nozomi-chan… we understand your previous clues…. but what next? When will you tell us?" Kotori asked.

The Mind Mage remained silent.

"Nozomi….." Umi called her softly.

"Look….Nozomi… you're not the only one who is mourning the loss… but we still have to do what we need to do— we need to save this world…. For you…for her…and for all of us…" Niko tried to reason with the quiet girl.

"We even already collected a lot of things to work on—and…the citadel is coming closer…. We can't let that thing land perfectly…."

"You shouldn't worry about it…. the citadel is of no harm…. many organizations prepared a lot of armies to stop it from moving… even after when the Valkyries went missing along with the Valhalla… " Nozomi finally decided to speak — though the gloom on her face was still evident.

Kotori sighed,

"Nozomi-chan….. don't give up yet…. I lost my mother in this too….yet I refuse to back down…. Let's solve this case…so that their sacrifice won't go to waste…"

"Even if we continue…. There is not much we will find… it's useless… let's just give up and continue living like how you all were before the case… let's pretend that the case never existed….." Nozomi replied with a faint smile.

And suddenly, someone knocked the door. Rin quickly maneuvered towards the door and opened it…

"Sorry…this is….bad news…." Hanayo said sadly.

"What now?" Niko asked.

"Uhn…Honoka-chan just returned…. She said… she doesn't want to break the news but she has to because….. there's….uh…something that is really wrong… apparently…. Everyone made an investigation….and even…..some interviews…." Hanayo nervously said with her eyes looking at the ground.

"The result says…..that…. the missing of Valkyrie's ship, the Valhalla, was all planned by Nozomi….and that includes the murder of Lenora Rangrid, Ayase Eli and Eir Randgrid…. The police taking are taking a big offense from this…. they said, they can't forgive Nozomi for playing them…wasting a lot of resources for nothing but murdering other innocent people… they demanded a public execution…."

"Wait! What about the endless citadel?! That's something real, right?" Niko asked.

"Yes…it is indeed something real… but it has stopped moving and suddenly blew up on it's own….lucky that they haven't dispatched any of the troops…otherwise they would've had to deal with the loss from the explosion." Hanayo replied.

"No…There's no way for it to happen just like that… there must be something wrong with this!" Kotori said.

"I agree… something is very wrong and I don't think that's all—…"

And before Umi managed to finish…

The purple haired woman giggled,

"…..so….. they've finally caught me….. again with my insanity…."

"E-Eh?" everyone flustered in surprise.

"That's right….. that's very true…. It's the absolute truth…." Nozomi said in her giggle,

"Nozomi-chan…. you didn't do it, right?"

"What….? Why are you so surprised, Kotori-chan…. you've always known me…."

"Yes…I know you… you're kind and motherly—and over protective even though you're a little wild at times…. That's what I know about you!" Kotori replied.

"You don't need to try and protect me…. you all have always known me….I'm a cold blooded murderer, I'm a villain….and I'm a terrible human being…. I'm heartless…. I'm a monster…and all I want for this world is destruction…."

"Nozomi-chan…." Hanayo called her sadly….

The police steps into the room,

"So… you are finally ready to face your punishment…. Toujou Nozomi…." Tsubasa said.

"Tsubasa-chan…. let's give her mercy…. She must be—….."

Just before the ginger haired woman, standing behind the police, was able to finish,

"What? You still want to give me mercy?" Nozomi pitched in,

"I wish I could… but your record forced me to not to…. There have been too many deaths to be compromised…and a lot of people have demanded you to be executed since long ago…." Tsubasa said.

"I'm glad….everyone has made the right judgment…and the right punishment…there's no place for someone like me….as long as I exist… the world will never come to peace…." Nozomi replied again with a proud smile on her face.

"Nozomi-chan….this is very wrong…. you can't possibly be the cause of all this…" Kotori said.

"Yeah… that is the last thing I'll expect from you, especially…killing Eli…. That wasn't your doing, right?" Maki said.

"Didn't I tell you I was jealous….? That's should be enough for a motive…right? I'm jealous…so I killed her…..so I put an end to her life—so that she never looks another…. It's all because I'm jealous, ok?"

"No…that doesn't make any sense…" Maki said.

"Enough…. Toujou Nozomi… please come with us…." Tsubasa said clearly.

Nozomi chuckled,

"With pleasure…."

And she left along with the police as the others were left speechless.

* * *

The Jail;

A year passed. The Mind Mage who has given herself up, stayed in her prison cell with no one but a few dead prisoners around her…

A police came by along with two women— a dark blue haired one and an ash brunette,

The police sighed,

"Again…. Toujou-san…. Don't kill your cell mates….even though they're also going to be executed…" He said.

"They were in my way..." Nozomi replied with a smug face.

"Nozomi-chan….." the ash brunette called her sadly,

"Hmm…? That's nice of you to come to visit me in my last days…." Nozomi replied with a smile on her face.

"You don't have to try so hard to make people believe you….because… I still believe you did not kill her….nor did all those crimes…."

"Well…I'm very smart…. So why not?"

"It's not smart of you to put yourself here…to begin with… this is an epic stupidity… Eli must be very disappointed in you right now…" Umi replied.

"I'm already disappointing her…. that's why she is dead…." Nozomi replied—still with a smile on her face.

Umi sighed,

"See? You're trying too hard…you know…" she replied.

"This is all my fault…. Everything is…. but at least now people know…and at least now you can see the world has come to a peace… Terra is able to return to their business…and the earth as well….just like how it was….. this is a peaceful world… so why are you still whining about it?"

"Perhaps… this is a peace that everyone wanted…. But… what about you…. and Eli….? It's not fair that you two have done so much for the world, yet all the world can see from you two are nothing but your crimes. Why can no one ever see your good sides? Why does no one ever try to understand you?"

"Because…. this is me that everyone wants to see. This is me…. Umi-chan…. the cold blooded murderer who takes pleasure from killing others… I made history so that everyone knows how a cold blooded murderer like me will end… I betrayed my love…I betrayed you…and I betrayed everyone else…"

"No one is betrayed more than you betraying yourself…. Do you think this is really what you want from yourself? You know you shouldn't just accept what others say about you… you have to show them that you're not the same person with what they always know you as…."

"And what power do I have? Even if I tried so hard to change myself— it will give me nothing but a deep wound in my life… Ericchi has warned me about it— she always told me, to just be myself…. But I always decided to try hard to be accepted…"

Umi and Kotori sighed,

"Nozomi…. I guess we can't do anything about you…. you're really insisting yourself to go through this…"

"Well…what do you expect from me anyway? I'm fixed here…"

"All we want is to hear you at least deny all the crimes that you committed…"

"I'm not going to deny it…. even if the real truth says differently…"

"Uh…You just did…" Kotori said.

"Hmm? I'm not…I'm still going to admit myself as the one who did it… that's what everyone says…."

"Very well…. thank you for everything…Nozomi…." Umi said sadly before she and Kotori left her. The police sighed heavily before he left her as well.

* * *

Another hour passed,

and the cell was clear of the dead bodies, it wasn't long until the same police returned to the jail cell the purple-halred woman was in. But this time he came in with a different set of people following up behind him.

"Toujou-san…. Here are your friends…again…." he said..

"Nozomi-chan!" Rin shouted loudly.

"Yes, Rin-chan?"

"I'm still not going to believe that you're the one who did it! I always know you love Eli-chan—and can't possibly have done that out of nowhere!"

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment, then she smiled faintly,

"Sheesh, I thought the police always believed that evidence is everything…"

"Evidence can always be forged…if only there were detectives that wanted to do the case…." Niko said.

Hanayo sighed weakly,

"They all backed down as they heard your name as the client… they even said that… even if you're just standing on the crime scene—everyone can already see you're guilty…"

"These people are judging too fast… I wish they were willing to at least understand the situation…" Maki sighed in a irritated manner.

"It doesn't matter anymore… everything is done and there's no way for me to return…" Nozomi replied with a smile.

"This is so unfair…. You could've been living in peace right now…."

"Someone needs to pay….and I do need to pay for my own doing…"

"You've paid enough with your kindness… and it's not that you expect anything in return… I mean, look… I've never heard you say that there's anyone that is not worthy for your kindness… you always just do things with your own decisions…"

"There are a lot more bad than good in me. I deserve it…. and I'm not even complaining… I don't even update my social media…"

"Nozomi….this is not a joke… this is your execution day…right?"

"It is…"

"Don't joke about it…. and no, you don't need to pretend to be a dumb ass who updates her social media status just because she has a small problem fall upon her…then act all mighty when someone tries to show a caring act…"

Nozomi chuckled softly,

"A drama queen fun… sometime dumb people makes life a lot more colorful…"

"Nozomi…." Maki sighed.

"Anyhow… we're done here… thanks for everything, Nozomi… I can't believe you have to end like this…"

"Bye…"

"I swear to you—Nozomi-chan! I'll catch the real culprit nya!"

"R-Rin-chan! Calm down!" Hanayo panicked.

"Don't just think that we'll completely close this case, ok! Watch us shine from heaven!" Niko said.

"Oi-oi…let's move…" Maki started to push the petite girl out.

Nozomi remained quiet as she watched her friends and the lone police leave her.

"What a pain…. But thanks for showing me that trust…. at least I know my soul will be in peace..."

She whispered to herself before she sighed in relief.

* * *

The time kept passing…

The execution hours came to a close..

Nozomi closed her eyes and started to meditate on her own before once again, the police came by with a young blonde….

"Nozomi-san….." she called her coldly.

Nozomi turned her gaze towards her,

"I'm going to ask you again… and this is for the last time…"

"What's the question again, Alisa?" Nozomi smiled at her.

"Are you really the one who killed my sister?"

Nozomi stayed silent for a few seconds,

"Well…what does the evidence and witness says?"

"Said, you're the one who made the plan that caused the valkyrie's ship to disappear along with the majority of the Valkyries, then stole Leyna's weapon to kill both of commander Lenora and my sister…and then lastly killed Eir in the same spot as where you kill my sister…."

"I'll just say…there is a truth in all that…"

Alisa frowned.

"Are you going to make it clear?"

"No… there's nothing that I need to make clear...you're smart enough to understand, right?"

"From what I understand… you're supposed to be someone who loves my sister, not killing her…."

"Yes…that's right…."

"But your action says differently…."

"Yep, that's right too…I'm a total failure…"

"I hate you…" Alisa said coldly before she left without any other words. The police rolled his eyes and left her alone as well.

Nozomi chuckled in amusement,

"In your case…it's better that way than to know who the true culprit is…" she whispered.

"You're a stubborn one…aren't you?" a familiar voice was suddenly heard from somewhere around her, Nozomi quickly turned around to look for the source.

"Isn't that…..?"

"What should I say about you? A warrior who sacrificed herself? You're not sacrificing for the right reason…" said the voice once again.

"Ericchi….?" Nozomi called,

"It's painful… I couldn't contact you before you were close to your death…."

"Ah— does that mean….. you are…..?"

"Yes…. Sorry, that I didn't tell you…. I was too scared…and too rushing on my choice… but whats done is done…. I am who I am now…."

"So…what's your point for showing up here, now? I mean…to talk with me… you're not even showing yourself…"

"Well…I'm actually right in front of you… but you couldn't see me yet…. Not yet…. Not until you're very close to the end…."

"I see….."

"but…tell you what… it's a lie when people say that the Elite Valkyrie don't have a feelings— they're just good at hiding it…and they're also told to not show it…. I proved it…."

"What do you mean you…proved it?"

"Well…. I'm holding onto a feeling…."

"and…what is that feeling?"

"Love….. I'm still in love with you…."

"Ericchi…"

"I don't know about you…. but…to know what you have done to this point….. it makes me regret that I didn't trust you back then…."

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Yup…you should feel bad for yourself… now that you realize your mistake… are you going to offer me anything as your apology?"

A chuckling voice,

"Don't just laugh, sheesh!"

"Well…I'm glad I can see you upset again…but..yes… will you be my einhenjar, Nozomi?"

"Really? Is it wrong if I say yes? I mean, that's an invitation to death, right?"

"Yes… it's wrong because you are basically arranging your own death… you could've moved on…. For everyone else...protect what you needed to protect in life…"

"And create tons more problems? Because everyone already judged me as who I am judged as now?"

"It might be fun…I thought you love fun."

"No…it's not fun….it's not fun if I have to see them dying one by one… I've seen it in the future… without you… they will have to die one by one… so that's why…I have to take the blame…to protect them…at least from the others…."

The voice of hers seems to be quiet for a moment, until she could hear a gentle sigh…

"Tell you what? Just because you're doing this big mistake…. I'm not going to let your soul wander aimlessly, that's why I want to take you as my einhenjar…so that we can be together…. Even though…. we cannot completely unveil the mystery that killed us both…."

"It's not like you're someone without mistakes… you've done a lot of mistake too…. That's why I'm doing this bigger mistake so you don't feel dumb by yourself.…."

"There…. You're being annoying again…."

Nozomi giggled,

"I cannot wait for my time to come… please take me soon, ok?"

* * *

As the time came for the last line of the Toujou family to meet her end,

She walks to the middle of the town square— watched by a thousand pairs of eyes, judging her silently.

"There's no one here that's going to accept you now… Toujou…"

Nozomi lift her sight to the eyes of her executioner, which surprisingly and knowingly was a female with familiar face.

"You're her mother…huh?"

"Yes…but don't get me wrong… I'm not here to take revenge for my daughter— but to put a justice to the result of betrayal in the past…" she said as she showed the weapon that she was currently holding.

Nozomi knew well the detail of the weapon— the shape, and the color… and she knew who owned that weapon in the past…

"Then please enjoy yourself…"

"Of course I will…. I've always wanted to do this… thanks to the authority for allowing me to be your executioner… now I'll certainly be living in peace…"

"I know…. but tell you what? Even if you put an end to me, I still have one thing that you will never ever feel to have…."

"Oh… you're being arrogant now? Then tell me what I never will feel to have…"

Nozomi chuckled again,

"Of course…it's to feel accepted by someone special…"

* * *

_**From the very end of the sentence and the mocking smile which angered the older woman, caused her to lift The End of Ordinary Sorrow and bring it down onto the edge of the girl****'****s neck, with amazing speed, showering the violet with thick red as it splattered onto the ground, forming a pool under the headless body. She may be dead to the world****—****and someone else has come to pick up her soul.**_

_**A blonde woman with a pair of huge bright white wings held her hand, with a gentle smile on her face****—** **dragging her closer to the brighter armor, then from the very moment their eyes met****—** **their lips touched each other gently before they disappeared into fading lights****.**_

_**And to the angered woman who happen to still hold the weapon****—** **watching over the empty vessel with a frown on her face, realizing that what she heard last will haunt her for the rest of her life.**_

_**Has she really never felt accepted by someone special? She surely knows what she means with it.**_

* * *

**-THE BAD END-**

* * *

**A/N : Ok, you ppl have to wait for the true ending~ be patient ok _ ... I have...lots of things to do first**


	28. To Twist The Truth

**Here is True ending Route, sorry for the long delay.**

**Thanks to Crimson for edits!**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/and follows!**

* * *

"So….. are you going to tell me what you want to do….?"

Her voice was loud and clear. Eli took a deep breath….

"Have you finally made your decision?" once again she asked.

"I…._[I need five minutes…to decide]_…."

"Five minutes? Do you always need to think that long….?"

Eli remained quiet.

"Hey, answer me— don't keep your mouth shut when I'm talking to you."

"I told you…. five minutes…. And I'll give you an answer…" Eli replied.

"I can't wait that long… I have more business to do…." Eir replied with a frown on her face.

"It's strange that you're trying to be kind but rushing me to decide just because you have something else to do…. Are you really trying to be kind?" Eli asked.

"Kindness doesn't come for free, you know. if you want my kindness, then you better hurry up and say what you want to do…" she said.

"Then, you can always go home… I'll take another's kindness— the one that comes with patience…"

"You moron, are you really going to give up the chance to get my kindness?"

"You're not kind— you're just trying to pull a scam… I bet there's a motive behind your kindness…"

"You think I'll ask anything off of you? Stupid! You have nothing!"

"No…. I have everything…."

"Then please tell me one of the things that you have right now…" Eir challenged,

And just right after she said it…

"Ericchi!" A voice was heard from the distance along with the sound of horse gallops coming closer to the two.

"Her…." Eli replied with a smile.

Eir frowned.

"…..so you still want to trust her…huh?"

"Of course… I can believe her more than you…just because she doesn't sound like a damned barking dog when talking…"

"You…" Eir balled her hands into a fist— though she glanced at Nozomi, who was closing in on them.

"…you'll regret this…. she is nothing like what you see her as…" she said before she disappeared into the lights.

"Loser…" Eli scoffed and smiled mockingly.

"There…Ericchi…did I just hear you say 'loser'….?" Nozomi asked as she approached her,

"Ah…Nozomi…you're finally here…." Eli replied.

"Don't change the topic… did you just call Eir a loser…?"

"Yes…what's wrong with that?"

"No, Nothing, it's just funny since you're a bigger loser compared to her…and yet you call her that…"

"Hah— she always does that anyway, chickening out when she knows she won't stand a chance…"

"That's called being smart… silly… now— let's put that aside… how are you?" Nozomi asked as she checked on her lover's situation—noticing how a lot of the blonde's flesh crumbled into grains of sand, revealing the iron bones and muscles beneath it.

"I think… my mother used that poison….but…. these bones protected me from completely disappearing…"

"Hmm…this is bad… we need to get you home soon…I'm glad you ended up here…we won't need much time to return." Nozomi said as she helped Eli walk to her horse.

"My mother…teleported me here…perhaps she thought that I won't be found in this area…"

"Well, you wouldn't have if you didn't have my spell enchanted onto your head right now. I recognized where you were because I see what you see and I hear what you hear…."

"Ah— I… I didn't know…you can do that."

"You have been naughty—checking on everyone's asset… so I had to put that spell on you, to make sure you're not cheating on me… but it turns out it also helped me find you…."

"Then you must be lucky to have a naughty one like me" the weak blonde grinned proudly.

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"No…silly…. Don't be naughty…"

Eli smiled back at her,

"But it makes you so cautious about me…."

Nozomi sighed weakly before she helped Eli get up on the horse.

"I would prefer a faithful relationship, please… stop looking at others… you have me…" she said to the blonde.

"Well…do you know what I think when I see others?"

"Hmm…?"

"I say to myself that— I'm so lucky that my girlfriend has the perfect size… and is of a perfect quality…"

"Sheesh… you don't need to try so hard to make it sound sweet. You were cheating and that's all I know…"

Nozomi said before she got up to her horse after helping the blonde.

"Are you mad?" Eli asked as the horse started to gallop back to the village through the dark forest,

"I would be…but…. I realized.. you might have not been satisfied with me…. that's why….I wanted to keep trying and find out what would make you only look at me and no other…" said the purple haired girl in low tone with a hint of sad and loneliness mixed into her voice.

"I've been satisfied with you… it just that I'm the one who hardly resists to compare your beauty….I mean…truly… I'm really proud of you…Nozomi… how else will I feel proud if not by comparing you with another?"

"I've never been compared…I never compare you with another either… especially right now… if I have to compare you with another… I would ask why I have a cookie for a girlfriend?"

Eli chuckled,

"Do I look like a cookie right now?"

"Yes…Cyborg cookie… with those flesh crumbling…and with those iron bones…"

"Will you still love me….if I have to lose my beauty completely….?"

Nozomi chuckled,

"What are you saying… your true beauty is not on the surface… Its what's inside that matters the most…I would still bang you….even if you are nothing but iron bones and muscles…"

"That's scary…. You know it sounds like you'll bang me even after I die…"

Nozomi giggled,

"That should be enough proof that I won't not do what my mother did?"

Eli remained quiet.

"I heard it…you know…. and I understand how she feels…."

"My mother….you mean?"

"Yes…and you know what, Ericchi…? it's funny, that… they've met each other back then….when they realized that both of our father's were good friends with each other...I believe, you were still in school that day…"

"You used to go to Terra?"

"No…I haven't gone there back then, it was your father that paid a visit to my father… I believe I saw your mother pregnant that day as well ….maybe that was the time before she gave birth to Alisa?"

"Maybe….but anyway, how was their meeting?"

"Bad…. Your mother pretended that she never met my mother…"

"Oh…."

"I never noticed it before, but something felt off…and your mother surely was a little scary…. She acted like…. Well… a murderer…. I think she could kill someone with just her gaze…"

"I can confirm that…." Eli sighed,

"Hehe— did you know what my mother said back then?" Nozomi asked with a gentle smile,

"What?"

"She said… if I like something…or someone, I must be true about it. I shouldn't hide and I shouldn't try to pretend…. Even though sometimes it's necessary to do so for the better… but…once I'm in a real relationship, I shouldn't play with their hearts, unless my intention was only to hurt them…."

"So she knows what she was doing….?"

"Hmm… perhaps… she never knew until that day they met again…."

"Ah…."

"There was this thing that she told me…. she said, she never wish to marry father if not because she really wanted to make a point to her someone special. I swear I started crying when i heard it, I really thought it meant that my mother disliked my father…and disliked my existence as well… but it turned out that she really loved us both….because he was an amazing man… she hated to admit that fact."

"But…don't you think its a mystery about what your mother actually wanted to do from it?"

"I would say that… but it will be a lie if I said I didn't know…."

"You know….?"

"It was written in my father's journal….about…almost everything between them…."

"What did he say?"

"He said…. he knew that mother never actually loved him from the start, she just married him because she wanted to put her parents in ease… about the fear of her having no successors because she—was in love with the same gender…"

"It's funny, that I thought something like that would happen to my mother. I know my grandmother was a strict ass…"

"Perhaps, it'll always be the case for couples like them—like us…. But for whatever sin and fear they spat out of their mouth, claiming which one is the most wrong, to force someone to love what they don't or to love what we're not supposed to love?"

"That point of view was changed long ago in Terra… a technology that allows the same genders to create successors was found, they are no longer able to make excuses— but then, in terra, people are taught to learn that it doesn't matter what you love or what you don't love, your fate is not going to depend on someone else's hand—it is in your own hands…."

"So that's why you're all forced to fight in a real battlefield?"

"Yes…. I don't like that way though…. I've got the point so why I should keep on fighting….? Clearly it's not for educational purposes…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Sheesh, Ericchi…I mean…cookie Ericchi…. you always entertain me so much… even though my heart is currently ripping apart to see you crumbling…."

"Someone needs to keep the fun running… but now, my point is…. our love has never been forbidden, not even theirs… if someone says that this love is as forbidden as loving a small child that will eventually grow up, then they're completely wrong and stupid…"

"You're talking about a pedophile?"

"Of course, that is what we should be against…they put their desire on them because they haven't grown up, while in fact they will eventually grow up—no one can go against the nature… besides, a little kid shouldn't be married or experiencing such dirty act… they should be still learning more and more things in life before they're ready to take the responsibility, they're not ready to be intimate."

"Hmm…. now you're just making me worry for a certain little police— Nikocchi? If that's the case, no one will be able to love her as a woman…. I mean… look, her breast aren't even growing yet…."

Eli giggled,

"You're such a meanie sometimes, Niko is not that young, you know…she might be older than me…. and she just can't grow them bigger than that…. like I said, we can't grow against the nature…"

"An excellent target for they who likes to maul little kids… imagine how many children she can save if she ever gave herself as an offering to the devil!"

"Nozomi…. that's creepy…you know…."

"I'm joking… I think Maki-chan would behead me by now though…"

"Maki…? Beheading you?"

"Yup, because I made fun of her little pet…"

And the blonde giggled again.

"I'm not sure if she will be angry because of that mean joke or because you called her as a pet…"

Nozomi chuckled,

"Can't be helped… she is an annoying one… the last time I caught her, she was trying to use my lotion yesterday… Hmmph, what's wrong with asking before using…it's not going to be embarrassing."

"Lotion…? You use such things?" Eli tried to joke,

"Sheesh, you're not that sharp, are you? I've always been using lotion to keep my smelly scent away from you… since you always complain when we are on intimacy…"

"You can always…you know… take a bath…. Do you know….a bath? Where you pour…water on your body, use soap and shampoo and…some other stuff? At least that's how your people keep themselves clean, right?"

"It's too time consuming, I wouldn't do it if you weren't there to take it with me…"

"No wonder your hair has been so oily… sheesh! We should take a bath…."

"I don't think you can take a bath…. Not right now, at least…. Look at yourself…Ericchi, there are so many holes in your body…literally…."

"You're right…." she smiled faintly

"The antidote we have in the village… it will be painful once it's applied…but… endure it, ok?"

And they dashed out to the lights that lead them to the village.

* * *

The Valhalla;

"This is terrible…." Valkyrie Minami said.

"What is?" a valkyrie asked,

"Valkyrie Rina, please…can you tell everyone to halt all work assigned?"

"Yes, mam…." Valkyrie Rine and couple of other Valkyrie's replied before she quickly moved out from their places.

"I need to talk about this with Nozomi again…the whole plan has changed and the original one destroyed... whoever did this must be insane…"

"Valkyrie Minami…." A Valkyrie called.

"Yes, Valkyrie Chloe?"

"We couldn't find trace of anyone's handprints but Commander Lenora's herself… is there a chance for someone like Valkyrie Leyna to murder her?"

"…and for what motive?"

"To silence her perhaps? I've been hearing that Commander Lenora kept a secret about the Endless Citadel…"

"And why would an elite Valkyrie want to silence her?"

"That's…..well…that's what we don't know…"

"It doesn't matter right now, let's just try to call Nozomi so that she can help us solve this problem…"

And suddenly, another Valkyrie came by,

"Valkyrie Minami! Th-This is bad! Our connection to Earth has suddenly been cut! We can't contact to them!" she said in panic.

"W-what? Then… try to contact someone else….like…hmm..Terra perhaps?"

"We tried to contact them too—but, we are unable…"

"It might be our connection then…"

"Strange, I just made contact with a friend…." Another Valkyrie said,

"Valkyrie Rebecca…you contacted a friend….?" Valkyrie Chloe asked.

"Yes… but from her personal ship, which is currently parked in Terra…" she said.

"Hmm….I wonder if we can contact her through Eli….?"

"Eli…Ayase Eli?"

"Yes…"

"Then, I probably can try and contact her! Haha! I knew it! My stalking behavior wasn't going to waste! Ayase Eli will save us! Woooo!" Valkyrie Rebecca shouted excitedly as she jumped and ran away.

"W-whoa…..I wonder if she'll be alright…?" Valkyrie Minami asked,

"She should be fine…I just hope she gets accepted somehow…." the other Valkyrie massaged the temples of her head.

* * *

Police station;

"How is it, Valkyrie Leyna?" Erena asked.

"Hmm…weird… I can't contact the Valhalla— I swear I was able to just a while back…" Leyna said.

"Try to contact a personal tablet— they're made by Terra so it should have a stronger signal…"

"I don't have anyone's contact number?" Leyna replied innocently.

"Uh...then, I think I can try and contact Eir…." Tsubasa said.

"Ah—right…please do that…"

Tsubasa quickly took out her phone and dialed a number, then waited until she could hear the other line pick up…

But….

"Hello! Eir!" Tsubasa said cheerfully.

"Hello…." said a different female voice...

"Eh? Eir? Is this Eir…?" Tsubasa asked.

"No…" the voice replied.

"Then... Who is this?"

"Me…? It doesn't matter… I'm just a woman….who happened to find two dead bodies…"

"Two dead bodies…?" Tsubasa flustered.

"Yes… I happen to….witness a murder…. Done by a dark mage…I think her name is…Toujou Nozomi…."

"W-what? Wh-Where's the victim?!"

"They're in the dark forest…near the unnamed village…." she said.

"Urgh…. Dark Forest, huh? Countless pirates were dead in the very place…"

"That's true….but, this time, I think you know both of them… as they are both important people…"

"Tell me names of the victims…"

"Eir Randgrid…and Ayase Eli…."

"W-what?!" Tsubasa widened her eyes in shock.

* * *

The Earth—Underground garage;

Eli sat on a bench as Kotori and Hanayo took care of her, with a lot bandages warped around her body as she cringed to endure the pain. Nozomi remained on the work table along with everyone else,

"Found artifacts, check! Documents, check! White board, check!" Rin read the list and put a check mark next to the said items, brought by Nozomi, a while back.

"Nozomi… we managed to do what you asked us to do… so what next?" Umi asked.

The purple-haired girl remained quiet as she read the paper displayed on the table.

"Well…" she started to speak,

"The code that A-rise gave us… is it really only an 'if' in the start and 'I'm sure' at last…?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes… that's all they gave us…"

"Hmm…." Nozomi went quiet once more as she tried to think.

"Alisa used to tell me this… to end the dark age and start a new light , to create a brighter world which will eventually grow dim like now… From 'If' to 'I'm Sure' an enchanting spell will be spoken after the storm…"

"After the storm…. Huh?" Nozomi raised her eyebrow.

"It's a storm in lover, honey…" Eli said teasingly.

"E-Eli-chan! Don't talk! We haven't finished working on your neck!" Hanayo said.

"Storm in lover?" Umi flustered.

"Just...ignore Ericchi and her lame jokes…" Nozomi sighed.

"Eli…how could you even joke at a time like this…" Maki sighed.

"I told you, she is being lame…just ignore her…" Nozomi said.

Eli tried to hold in her laughter,

"W-whoaaa! Eli-chan! D-Don't giggle!" Kotori panicked while trying to treat her injury.

"Hey…I wonder if you can make her a new body or something?" Niko asked.

"You mean, creating a homunculus for her?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes… I don't know why, but I think… you can move her soul…right? With magic?" Niko asked again,

"No way— it's too risky to do that. If I failed… Ericchi will be gone eternally…"

"Well, are you going to let her live like that…?"

Nozomi remained quiet as she looked at her lover—who was indeed in a terrible condition.

"I rather keep her like that…than to lose her completely…." Nozomi replied.

"Lies… what you want is not to keep her like that, but to somehow fix her, right?"

"I would if I could…but…I really don't think…I can do that… even with the glove that my father created for me…" Nozomi replied with a sad smile.

"Nozomi-chan! Stay positive! Don't give up before trying! You have to fight your fear!" Honoka cheered on enthusiastically.

"Yeah-that's true-that's true-nya!" Rin added.

"Hey now… Honoka-chan… magic isn't that easy…" Nozomi said.

"Well, magic exists in everyone's heart— so if you give up before trying, then you certainly won't have that power of magic in you…" Niko said.

Nozomi sighed,

"Let's put that trouble aside now, ok? Let's take a review…on this work…." Nozomi said while pointing towards the sentences written by everyone in the room.

"Alright…"Niko nodded along with the others.

"So… it started from 'If' and ended with 'I'm Sure'…"

"Yup…"

"...the sentence that Kousaka family has, says: Two Strangers in front of each other…"

"Yup, that's right!" Honoka confirmed.

"Then… Sonoda's says: making an invisible point…?"

"Yes—as invisible as the swift arrow shoot!"

"Alright, then, Minami's said: Re-Creating the impossible…"

"Yup, that's what an alchemist does!" Kotori said.

"and then Koizumi's said: Grow your passion?"

"Uh… more like Find and Grow your passion—but I don't really get the find part other than to know what you're fond of…"

"I see…Then next, from Hoshizora is… to keep your own pace?"

"Yeah nya!"

"and next, mine : To seek for the guardian…" Maki said.

"Yeah, and mine: to continue what came behind…" Niko added.

Nozomi nodded slightly before she turned her eyes towards Eli who seemed to be finished with her medical process.

"And..Ericcchi…you really have nothing?"

"No...nothing, she passed me nothing…nor from my father either…"

"This is going to be hard…"

"What about you?" Eli asked.

"I have something here…. But… I'm not sure…. The sentence that I've heard is… the meaning is not the truth—to think like what was said is what's important."

"Actually, let's turn towards the white board and see if there's any match…" Maki said.

"You're right, Maki-chan…let's do that…" Nozomi said.

Maki nodded before she headed to the white board, and turned it on, making words magically appear on it…

"If Two strangers in front of each other, making an invisible point, recreating the impossible, find and grow your passion, to keep your own pace, to seek for the guardian, to continue what came behind…." Maki read the whole paragraph out loud,

But the lines still remained empty in the end...

"I'm sure…." Nozomi added—and the last line filled in,

Suddenly, the white board and a few other parts, gathered from Rin's family artifacts, magically started to float and take a new form, revealing a huge machine with a couple of words written on it. With a few lines that appear empty enough for another paragraph to be formed,

"If-If I'm sure….?" Maki read the filled line,

"What's with...If-If I'm sure?" Honoka asked.

"I don't know…? Why is there a another line here that needs codes?" Niko wondered.

"Uh…well…Alisa-chan said, Ayase and Toujou are supposed to be included, but we finished the first set of codes without them...then...perhaps…. this code is only for Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan?" Kotori said.

"Ericchi, do you really have nothing? Because I don't think my sentence is what matters here…they don't even have two "if's" and 'I'm sure in it!'"

"What was yours again?" Eli asked.

"… the meaning is not the truth—to think like what was said is what's important."

"Hmm…if The meaning is not the truth , if to think like what was said is important, I'm sure…hmm..….nah…that's not it…"

"Maybe we need something else?" Nozomi asked.

"What if you use what Alisa told you before?" Umi asked.

"No…I don't think that's the right one though…" Eli replied.

The room fell silent.

"Hmm…" everyone mumbled to themselves as they were thinking.

And there was Eli who sort of thought the hardest…

_I__'__ve never heard any of this at all__…__?_

_Perhaps it__'__s related to Nozomi and I__…__._

_Let__'__s see__…_

_What__'__s so good about Nozomi__…__.?_

_Boobs__…__._

_I mean__…__._

_No__…_

_That can__'__t be it__…__. I mean, alright, she has great boobs__…_

_But what is it that sentence which comes before her sentence?_

_Or to begin with,_

_What does the previous set mean? _

_It can__'__t be simply saying that __…__. __"__If two strangers in front of each other, making an invisible point, recreating the impossible, find and grow your passion, to keep your own pace, to seek for the guardian, to continue what came behind__"…__.._

_It doesn__'__t even make sense!_

_Unless__…_

_What Nozomi said is something to solve the riddle._

_Hmmm__…__._

_The meaning is not the truth__—__but to think like what was said is what__'__s important_

_Is that saying that__…__I need to think like__…__._

_The Two Strangers in front of each other?_

_They__'__ve never met!_

_But what about the other thing__…_

_Making an invisible point__…_

_I can__'__t even imagine it now!_

_Wait a minute__…__._

_Oohh! I got it!_

"Nozomi! I got the answer!" Eli said excitedly as her eyes lit up with epiphany,

"You totally look like it, Ericchi… I already know you do, just by looking at your eyes…" Nozomi smiled.

"What's the answer though?" Maki asked.

"Well, first of all, we need to translate the first set… and how we translate it is simply by using the clue that is given by Nozomi…"

"What do you mean, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"As simple as this, you need to think like what was said… as in, if yours said, two strangers in front of each other, you'll need to think like the two strangers…what will they have in their minds when they see each other?"

"We've never met…? I had never known you at all?" Nozomi asked.

Suddenly, the line on the whiteboard filled.

"Oooh! I was right!" Eli said.

"Then what about… Making an invisible point?" Nozomi asked.

"Well, can you imagine something invisible?"

"No…."

"Then, what will you say when someone told you to make an invisible point?"

"I can't even imagine it now?"

And another line filled.

"That's right…" Eli said proudly.

"Oh—then, about mine…" Kotori raised her hands in excitement,

"recreating the impossible…?"

They all once again went quiet…

"uhm….I …I don't know what that means…" Eli said.

"Ericchi…you only thought of two?"

"Uh…well, I can think of something…. but…. I…I'm not sure…"

"W-well, I'm not sure either…it seems to be impossible to solve it…."

"Let's collect answers…" Eli said.

"This is just my thoughts, but, if there's something impossible…then maybe it could be related to a dream…" Umi said.

"W-Why dreams, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked

"Because that's where the impossible can be made possible...and maybe even be recreated…" Umi explained.

"Ah! then… we forge….dreams?" Kotori tried to make the sentence, but the machine didn't seem to accept it.

"Uh..then-then, Uhh….what does that mean….?"

"Uhm…maybe…just maybe…. the terms of re-creating is more like collecting in this case, because… if it's impossible… shouldn't it more like… you know…say something like.. 'recreating….so we already have everything and what is not possible is to make it happen?'" Honoka asked.

"It doesn't make that much sense….Honoka…" Umi sighed.

"But, we can try that though…I think I grasped some sort of idea about it…" Kotori said.

"You do?" Umi asked.

"Yup! Maybe...if recreating means to collect, then we should collect some sort of fragments of something…and if impossible means dream… then, shouldn't it be… to collect fragments of a dream?" Kotori said.

The machine still didn't respond.

"Hmm…still not right… what about…. Something like… resurrecting…? Or perhaps, to bring back up?" Eli suggested.

"Ohh…resurrecting, it actually does make some sense since its says, re-creating… but I think fragments of a dream does make sense too… we can try both…" Nozomi said.

"I've been thinking of something…. say its like this, the first two are about thinking like what is said, then if we think like 're-creating the impossible,' shouldn't it be something like 'to make for others' thing? Then we might have to add something to connect this sentence with the previous sentence since it was meant to be connected?" Eli stated out loud.

"Maybe, we would do something as we're not able to imagine ourselves like we have never met with each other? I mean…it still started from an 'If', right?" Umi asked.

"Oohh! It was because the first two are like, If we never met, if I had never known you at all…!" Kotori said enthusiastically as she stared into the whiteboard.

"Then …. It should be, while bringing up the fragments of all your dreams?" Nozomi said

with that said the empty lines on the white board started to fill in once more.

"Harasho! that's the right one…" Eli said cheerfully.

"Ah! If I'm following the pattern, then…mine should be, I found myself growing as passionate?" Hanayo guessed.

Another line filled though the line seemed to be incomplete.

"Uh…why is it incomplete in the middle…." Hanayo tilted her head in her confusion,

"Hmm… let's try to think about what should be in the middle…" Nozomi put a thoughtful finger to her chin.

"Or…let's try to think of a way to connect the two … there are 'I found myself' and 'growing as passionate'… what would you say in the middle…?"

"At some points?" Kotori added.

Then the line filled, creating a complete sentence.

"W-wah! Kotori-chan! That's amazing!"

"Hehe…that was a blind guess!" Kotori said shyly.

"Oh! Oh! I can guess mine too-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Heh…really? Don't just make a blind guess…" Maki smiled playful at the orange haired girl as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not a blind guess! Sheesh! Maki-chan is so cruel-nya!" Rin pouts.

"Then what's your answer…?"

"Well… you see, mine should be: to keep your own pace… if I'm going to be someone who always keeps their own pace, the reason to do is because I don't want anyone to lose their hopes-nya!" Rin replied cheerfully.

"Huh? Well…I don't think that's the right pattern…" Maki smirked.

"Actually…. I can try to do something with that…" Nozomi said.

"You might be thinking what I'm thinking…" Eli said.

"Yup… I think, what the line for Hoshizora is saying is, "So that everyone's hope will never grow dim…"

And the line filled.

"W-what? What the?!" Maki looked surprised.

"Haha! Maki-chan! I win-nya!" Rin cheered proudly.

"Th-Then! Let me guess my own! Uh….well…mine…mine should be… to seek for the guardian… hm…to think like the guardian…..uhh…this is might be not right,… so troublesome!" the red-head stopped talking.

Everyone was silent as the machine didn't seem to make a respond either.

"Hmm…Maki-chan…. I think you need to think like the guardian who actually accepts them…." Nozomi said.

"E-eh?! Well, do we have to say that we accept them…?" Maki said nervously.

"Of course…." Eli sighed.

"Then… should it be : I want to protect them?" Maki tried to guess.

The line filled again.

"Hah! Yeah! Take that!" Maki said proudly.

"Oo…Maki-chan! That's amazing-nya!" Rin appreciated.

"Hmmph! What with that… it's something easy, you shouldn't be proud of that." Niko crossed her arms with a huff.

"Then…what about yours, huh? Can you guess yours?" Maki said with a smirk.

"O-of course! It's too easy to guess mine… well…it's to continue what's left behind, right? Well… the answer is…to… uh…" Niko started to think,

Everyone remained quiet as they waited for the twin-tailed girl to continue.

"Its….."

Time passed and there was still no answer….

"Well….it's…."

Nozomi sighed heavily.

"I want to continue on protecting them…" Nozomi said.

And another line filled.

"Hah… you didn't do that on your own…" Maki said mockingly.

"T-there! Sh-Sheesh!" Niko protested.

And after a moment, the white board once again started to glow and magically minimize into something else.

Eli, Umi, and Maki widened their eyes,

"W-what…what the?"

"W-what kind of magic is that?"

"That's amazing!"

"And here I thought you wouldn't be surprised, since you have that bag which is able to carry stuff that is bigger than itself…." Nozomi said.

"But…this is… well…this is…magical…But…. hey now! Why didn't the person just make it as small as that? I mean! It could save me the trouble of transporting stuff! It's not cheap, you know?!" Maki said.

"Maybe because they don't want it simple? But why don't they want it simple?" Umi asked.

"Let's not worry about the small details. Let's get on with what we have here…" Eli said as she carefully walked over to approach the thing that happened to be from the artifacts. Kotori and Hanayo looked a little worried as they saw Eli, who appeared to be a little limped as she walked over to the items, though they decided to let her be, since Nozomi herself didn't seem to be as worried.

"A data disc…" Eli said.

"A data disc, huh? Could it possibly be keeping some kind of document or something important?" Nozomi asked.

"Oh…I think I've read that from the documents that we were told to use .. the documents were basically talking about the relation between the light and dark mages with the endless citadel…" Niko said as she picked up some of the documents from the surface of the table near her.

"Just like what Alisa said, they were involved in the making of the endless citadel. To go into more detail, the light and dark mages are running the government while some other people, who don't appear to be one of them, are the civilians. They called it as the Light Order and Dark order… Light Order is basically they who run magic education while Dark Order runs the magic technology education…."

"And the people who don't appear to be either of them?" Umi asked.

"Uh…yeah… according to the research that we conducted on our own, the people that don't appear to be one of them are they who are chosen by the order. Some said, they're just part of the family, the builder family, or the engineers, or perhaps the securities…" Niko replied.

"Oh-oh! right-nya! The securities here are not the police-nya!" Rin said.

"Not the police? Then what are they?" Umi asked again.

"The Pirates….the biggest pirate colonies-nya…!"

Eli looked slightly bothered as soon as the sentence escaped from Rin's lips.

"The document didn't say anything about the name though nya… but, it only says that the pirates refuse to be called as something else. They just agreed to give protection but do not wish to be in any rule or condition, as return, they just wanted them to pay them with knowledge about magic technology…"

"Then, the pirate's might be originally coming from Terra…..?" Umi asked, a bit unsure.

"Probably, because the pirate is using both technologies…" Maki replied.

"Don't you know what that means, Maki? I mean…. if they're coming from Terra, then we probably will be able to know who… Terra is a small place after all…" Umi said.

"You don't need to sweat it… I know who the pirate boss is…" Eli said.

"Really? That's great. We can try to crush them while—…."

"They're my family…." Eli cuts in.

Everyone except Nozomi looked surprised.

Umi averted her eyes,

"That's not a good joke, you know. Why would your family do that? I mean…why did your family sell out our people….? Don't they know that we're all being killed everywhere?" Umi said bitterly,

Eli remain quiet,

"She wouldn't know… she is not the one who did it…" Nozomi said.

"But…still…. it's her family… she should've known something… did they not tell her a thing?" Umi said.

"Sorry, Umi… I really don't know why…. Perhaps it's something personal that I have never been able to understand…. but…if you truly want to take revenge…..please be rational…" Eli replied.

"I've sworn to my family that I'll crush whoever the person was that made us suffer for a few months and forced to witness our people to be butchered in the cruelest fashion…. So perhaps it will help me to just give me the address of your family's location…"

"Now-now, you're not the only one who has grudge upon them… look at everyone else… and think again, are you seriously going to do that?" Nozomi said.

"Y-Yes…Umi-chan, remember that Nozomi-chan's family was also killed by the very same pirates…" Kotori said.

"Yes…and…Rin-chan's family too was slaughtered by them…" Hanayo added,

"So you all want me to do…what? Share the kill?" Umi started to get angry.

"No-nya. It's to think of the next action. I wouldn't try to kill them for killing my family-nya…" Rin said.

"Then what do you want to do, huh?"

"I'll bring them to justice. Let's just capture them and take them to the police!"

"That won't work, you're too simple minded… you should remember that they own the biggest pirate colony, which probably is going to be fighting against you…."

"Then what about you? You're trying to kill them… isn't that going to make things worse…?" Maki asked.

"Maki…you….." Umi seemed to be surprised.

"Rin is right, let's not be barbaric, if anything for what they did in the past, that would be taking them to a proper justice… killing is not going to make things any better…"

"Too naïve! You can't bring someone like them to a proper justice, they have never obeyed any rules— they're pirates! It's kill or be killed!"

"Well, I didn't say killing them will be a proper justice, and taking them to the police also won't do it…" Nozomi said.

"Then what are you going to do?" Umi asked.

"Yes nya, what to do then?" Rin asked.

Nozomi smiled, full of pride,

"This is why you shouldn't decide too early, fighting blindly isn't going to do anything to them, we have to know where their weakness is…. but to be honest, I'm not worried about the big invasion… I've prepared for that long ago…" she said.

Everyone remained quiet as they wondered what she exactly meant,

"What we should be worried about is when someone is trying to escape from reality… or let's just say, we need to make a deal with the source of all chaos. Let's oppose her…" Nozomi suggested.

"Nozomi…. I thought you knew how she wanted to kill you…" Eli reminded.

"I said it because I already knew that…. I refuse to back down and escape from her, I want to challenge her… so that she knows that if she has a problem with me, then she should finish it with me and not anyone else…"

"The problem wasn't even you… it was her own grudge…" Eli said.

"That's not going to convince me, Ericchi. She is seeking problems with me so I want to get her to play the real game. I never liked playing hide and seek with people like her…."

Eli sighed,

"What should I do about you now….?"

"I think…if that's what Nozomi-chan wants, I will join in… I'll fight with you, Nozomi-chan…" Kotori said.

Everyone turned their eyes to Kotori.

"My mother helped you out, right? then her decision might be the best for me as well. Also to pay the debt that I owe you…. I was playing behind the scenes all the time before I knew that I could've cause a bigger problem with you to settle ours… Thanks to Eli-chan for showing me that…"

"M-Me?" Eli flustered.

"Yup, you, because you showed me who Nozomi-chan truly is, she isn't who she is without you…"

"You're appreciating her too much, Kotori-chan, Ericchi is the one that changed for me, not me changing for her, ok?"

"Eh? I didn't say anything about change though…." Kotori pointed out happily.

"Clearly, she said it because she actually is changing for Eli…" Maki said teasingly.

"No way, the change is for myself, ok? Not for her…." Nozomi said with a slight blush on her cheeks as she turned her face away from everyone.

"Oh come on! We all know that you're changing eventually for someone…." Niko said.

"W-What are you talking about, sheesh, I'm still me that you knew back then. Once this is all over, I'll be back to my killing spree…" the purple-haired girls said with slight nervousness.

"Whoa! Don't go back to your killing spree! We planned to ease all of your crime list once this is all over…" Honoka said.

"Aahh…. That's so boring…" Nozomi said–somewhat faking her disappointment,

"Then I guess I'll really stop doing that…" she continued with a sweet smile.

"Speaking of which, Eli-chan…" Hanayo interrupted.

"Hmm?" Eli turned her eyes to Hanayo.

"Does your Spaceship always have that light blink on and off?" Hanayo asked.

"Oh my god!" Eli quickly ran over to her ship, even while she was limping as she did. She quickly got inside her spaceship before picking up her headphones and pressing a button to accept the call.

"Hello, this is Ayase Eli speaking, sorry that I didn't notice any calls earlier…"

Everyone kept their focus on Eli, who seemed to be trying to listen to the other person on the line.

"Ah…..I see…. then, hold on…." She turned her gaze towards Nozomi,

"Nozomi… do you happen to know what the Dark-Lens spell does?"

"It's to reveal all hidden objects… why?" Nozomi asked.

"When someone tells you to cast Dark Lens with Wind orbs…. What does it do?"

"It won't work, the spell will only be reflected back to the caster in opposite effect, which means, it will turn you into a hidden object…. The bad effect of it causes you to not be able to touch anything around you, including not even being able to see yourself since you will simply be hidden in your very own dimension… unless you can cast the spell on your own, you won't be able to escape from the very dimension…. " Nozomi replied again.

"Wow… that was close then, don't cast it…." Eli said to the phone.

"What's wrong, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked,

"Someone happened to switch the plan and tell the Valkyrie to use the Dark Lens Spell Scroll and Wind Orbs as power… they were asking if it was truly your plan…"

"No…that wasn't my plan…"

"They said, a fraud Valkyrie Minami, whose identity still unknown, happened to give out the briefing about that to the Valkyries, now they're going to look for the fraud Valkyrie Minami instead of doing your plan…"

"Tell them to stick to the previous plan that I gave out… Commander Lenora should have it…"

Eli nodded and repeated the command, though as she listened to an explanation from the other line…

"W-what? That fraud Valkyrie Minami torn them up and Commander Lenora is dead? I mean…shouldn't you be able to take her soul out and turn her into a Valkyrie?" Eli said in her surprise.

She remained quiet again for a moment to listen to the explanation.

"E-Excuse me? That someone killed her with a spear that breaks souls so that none of you can resurrect her as a Valkyrie? Shouldn't that kind of weapon be kept by the Valkyrie's only?"

Eli fell silent again to listen, while everyone else looked intense as they waited for the blonde to speak once more,

"Ah…I see, so that's the case… I'll have the police send support, if you don't mind, please send the coordinates to my ship, I'll pass it on to the police…"

As Eli said that, she quickly moved her ears away from the phone.

"Wow-wow…." She said.

"Don't scream… you're welcome…" Eli said.

"I totally can hear the fangirl scream…." Maki sighed,

"I can imagine that in my head…." Umi nodded.

"Just wait until they see Ericchi sponge with all those metal parts revealed…." Nozomi chuckled,

"I doubt they will ever see it, unless Eli decided to go around Terra naked…" Maki said.

"Sounds fun. Ericchi, you should do that for me…"

"How about, no?" Eli said as she placed down the phone.

"A-Anyway! What was the news?" Hanayo asked.

"Apparently, someone sabotaged the Valhalla, it's strange because no one has ever done that before… since the Valkyries are very protective and diligent despite their arrogance towards the others. They are suspecting a few people, but they're not going to expose anyone's name yet before they can make sure of it…" Eli said.

"Oh….?"

"Then, as for the police… I'll just send it through here…" Eli worked on the communications table.

"Yus! I'll go tell Tsubasa to check the emergency message!" Honoka added in.

"Heh, you're talking like Tsubasa will check your message before checking the emergency inbox…" Maki said.

"Sadly, that's the truth. Tsubasa always checks her messages before the emergency inbox…" Niko sighed.

"Oh…."

"Is my mother ok?" Kotori asked.

"They said, Valkyrie Minami is currently working on replacing the commander's place. She was told to be the only person who was close to the commander…so she is the one who knows more than anyone else right now…" Eli said.

"Then, what about Eir…? Eir Rangrid….? Isn't she the commander's daughter?" Umi asked.

Eli paused for a moment before she returned to work.

"I'm suspecting her as the murderer of her own mother…" Eli said.

"W-what? Why would she do that to her own mother? I mean… really? Why?" Niko asked.

Eli remained quiet, as everyone looked like they were expecting her to start telling them about it…

She shook her head,

"Sorry, I can't tell you… even if one day you will all know. I've sworn to not tell about it to anyone…"

Niko frowned.

"Don't be so stubborn, she is not your friend—it's time for you to make a deal with her. Just tell us what exactly makes her do such cruelties to her own family so that we know what to do next…."

"I didn't promise it to Eir, but even if it was her, it's still a promise… so I can't…." Eli replied.

"Everyone, you heard her, so stop trying to pry it out and let's get back to our project…" Nozomi said loudly.

"Ah—but, we want to know-nya!" Rin said.

"If Eli-chan doesn't want to tell, then let's not try to get it out of her… it's not nice." Kotori said.

"Hmmph…alright then…." Niko smirked.

"Yup…now-now, where were we before…."

* * *

Ayase's residence;

A beautiful blonde sat on her relaxing sofa, wearing a white dress and a light blue scarf, tied lightly around her neck. She hummed a gentle tune as she picked up a cup of tea with her feminine fingers. Her day couldn't be more enjoyable than today–or so she thought,

She could feel someone stepping past the door, and lift up her eyes to gaze at the figure in front of her— a female, tall, muscular, and wearing a brilliant silver armor… brown hair with a few strands of white….

"Eir, what are you doing here….?" The blonde asked furiously,

"Gullveig…. Sorry, I didn't manage to kill her…" she said.

"….and you returned here just to say that…?"

"Yes…." She replied sadly.

The blonde seemed to be not amused, she placed down her tea and stood up to approach the other woman—with anger on her face.

"Where is she…?" she asked.

"Taken away….by Nozomi…."

"And you let her go…?"

Eir bit her lips as she nodded in embarrassment,

"You stupid idiot! Now the police will be after her and know that I lied about her death! And what's worse is that you didn't even kill yourself!"

"I was told to do it only if I succeeded, but I didn't! So I did not do it!"

"Then you should've thought of a way to make things right! You're not as brilliant as you are said to be!"

"What about you? Are you really going to—…"

"Stop questioning! You screwed up everything!"

"—You don't even want to listen to me!"

"Shut up! I'll have to do something about this…." The blonde said as she walked away and started to think,

"Gullveig….. will you listen to me?"

The blonde turn her azure eyes to her, still with anger on her face—but then it suddenly turned into a wide mysterious smile,

"Hmm… you're right….I should listen to you…" she said before a folded weapon flew into her hands. Eir glanced down to the weapon that just as it flew to the blonde's hand,

"That's….The End…of Ordinary Sorrow….?"

* * *

**Alrighty, that's part 1,**

**Part 2 should be coming up later.**

**I hope you're not bored yet! It's gonna end soon~ **


	29. For Better or Worse

**And here is the next thing.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves and follows!**

**Thanks to crimson for the edits!**

**Thanks to the positive words too! I'm working hard to update fast!**

**I'm still super busy right now, sorry T _ T**

* * *

As the days keep passing by,

The space pirate colony started to draw closer to the Earth and they weren't empty handed. There were a thousand vials of blood collected and sealed tight inside a box.

"Captain! When should we throw this?" a crew member asked the man wearing a tall hat and has a mechanical parrot resting on his shoulder.

"Remember what Gullveig said, only touch it when we're close to the atmosphere!"

"Understood!"

"Harr…why does she not lead today's invasion… it could've been a lot easier if she did…" said another crew member.

"She is watching over us—even now. So we better do things right… besides, once we manage to land the Endless Citadel on earth, we can start mind controlling them to obey her commands— we'll expand our territory and of course, that means, we can have more wealth to burn…"

"Aye…. I guess if that's all her plan, then we shouldn't complain…"

And suddenly.

"C-C-Captain! Something is wrong! Definitely wrong!" said one of the members as he ran in panic.

"One of our scouts is saying that they could see a few armies, marching toward us and our reinforcement. It appears that they know our position!"

"Hah, see? This is why Gullveig is always right; remember, when the soldiers are coming, we need to distract them with an explosion, something to make them think that we no longer exist…"

"Aye—captain, but, there's also another bad news…the Valkyrie ship, Valhalla…is waiting for us in our route… we're surrounded by a couple of the space police too… we won't have enough space to do it…"

"W-what?! I thought the Valkyrie ship should've been taken care of?!"

"Looks like that Eir girl can't be trusted for anything after all…." said a grumpy pirate,

"Damn it, she is screwing up everything!"

"If we survive this, let's make sure to bang her ass for screwing us up…" said another member angrily.

"What to do now, Captain?"

The Captain remained quiet to think,

"Let's break on one of their groups and escape…" he said.

"I really doubt that's necessary…." Said a voice out of nowhere….

All the crew members and the Captain himself, turned their eyes to the source to see a short girl in a space police uniform, fully covered in thick looking armor and a pair of guns kept on both of her hands. And with her were two other police women standing right beside her.

"All of you are under arrest for trying to cause chaos….give up—or face the consequence…" Tsubasa said as she pointed her gun towards the captain.

* * *

Toujou's residence, living room;

"It's been a few days…and we're all only told to keep ourselves healthy and energized? Seriously? Why don't we just go plan something?" Maki said as she paced around the living room with Umi and Eli sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper.

"I agree…we certainly are wasting our time…" Umi replied, her eyes still glued onto the newspaper.

Maki sighed heavily.

"Hey…. You two… why are you two being so lazy ever since we moved here…?"

"Me? I'm still diligent as ever… it just that I'm currently occupied with something…" Umi said.

"Tell me about it…" Maki smirked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

"You see, I'm currently looking for a good fabric supplier, I should be able to grasp some of the tailor addresses…perhaps I can go there to look around…."

"That's for Kotori I guess, huh?" Maki asked.

"Of course… I'm in debt to her…besides… she is in a hard challenge right now—and she didn't have to get through it but she is willing to for the sake of Eli… this is my form of gratitude, ok?"

"Heh— you say that it's for Eli, but look at her now—I mean, Eli! Cover yourself more, damn it. I don't like seeing those metal bones revealing themselves from under your skin!"

"What else can I do anyway? This is my body now, I won't give a damn about it anymore…not until I can get in my new body…"

"I know—but, you're not even helping them out!"

"Weren't we all told to save up energy? Well. This is how I'm helping them out. I don't want to screw up their work…. "

"Geez…. You're acting like a spoiled princess lately… you even get your food from Nozomi like every single time!"

Umi chuckled,

"It's funny, that's not what I saw when we were here for the first time…I totally can remember that day when all Nozomi did to you was harass you in all ways possible…" she said.

"People do change…" Eli replied.

"I can't deny that, but have you ever wondered why Nozomi suddenly wanted to love you? Like, which part of you that makes her fall in love?" her junior asked,

"I wouldn't know… never thought about that one…all I know is that I want to love her and no other…"

"Aren't you being a sweet ass now? Sheesh… I think the ants are coming…" Maki said with a smirk on her face.

"Coming for my ass? Sure… bring it on…" Eli chuckled.

"Does your ass have holes in it too?" Umi asked with a playful smile.

"Trust me, I haven't lost my ass. I think I only have a few…uhm…" Eli turns her eyes down to her legs—which were partially covered with bandages, so some parts still revealed her metal bones and muscles.

Her smile faded slightly, though it returned again after a while,

"Well… I haven't lost them…alright…"

Umi looked concerned, but seeing that Eli moved on from the issue, she decided to be calm about it.

"You surely don't care anymore about yourself, huh?"

"Someone cares about me—and that's all I like to know…and I believe she is also all that I need to live…even though their attempt on creating a homunculus to replace my body won't be successful… I don't care…"

"Sheesh, you don't need to always think negatively… let's just strive for what's best, ok?" Maki said.

"Maki… you surely changed too… is hanging out with Rin and the others affecting you that much?" Umi said.

"Huh? W-well!" Maki blushed,

"J-Just shut up! Sheesh! It's not like you didn't change also, I mean, look at you, to let bad things happen around you and act like it's not a problem…. That's not very you…."

"Kotori and Honoka taught me to let things happen—not because they want to see bad things happen, but to give more understanding to my surroundings… it makes me feel a lot more living than ever…" Umi said calmly.

"Hah—still, though, if only we went together with Eli that time, she wouldn't have had to deal with her mother alone…" Maki said.

"It's her family business; besides, it should be her private matter, not ours…"

"Yeah—sure, it only becomes ours when it gets worse…." Maki smirked sarcastically. Umi seems to be very bothered with that sentence, though she only frowned and nothing else.

"Now-now, you two, I'm still here and alive. That's all that matters, right? About me and my mother—and my whole family… that would be my problem, yes, but I'm happy to gain some support…" Eli said.

"...I'll be fine this way… Nozomi and I will have to deal with more problems later—and…well, we lost contact with Alisa who seems to have a lot of information but…I just believe she will do fine by now…"

Umi shook her head slightly,

"Eli, I think Maki is right in this case, perhaps I have been slacking on my duty as a warrior… I'll do my best to protect you from now on so that you won't get any worse than this…" she said.

"Erh…you don't need to worry that much, really…." Eli replied.

"Nah— we're going to look after you, ok? You're still our senior after all… and I'm going to be a doctor later…. So, please let me do my job…"

"Uhmm…. Thanks I guess…both of you…"

The blonde sighed before she pretended to return back to her reading.

* * *

The Minami's workshop;

Kotori, Nozomi, and Hanayo stood in front of the ingredients that were placed inside a few containers.

"Uhm…Nozomi-chan, I think we've collected enough ingredients, if you like, I can start making it …" Kotori said.

"Not now, it will be too early to do that…" Nozomi replied.

"Eh? Why? I mean, we can always try to do so, right? It's not like it will take a lot of years or something…" Hanayo asked.

"Yeah, it will only probably take about…uh…uhm… three weeks?"

"You can do that in one day… remember that you still have your time bomb….as…not that regular time bomb…but THAT time bomb…." Nozomi replied.

"Oh..right…I do have that somewhere around here…"

"Ah—right, I haven't used the one you gave me either…" Hanayo said.

"We can use the one that I kept around here…hehe…."

"But still, you two, we shouldn't start making it…it's still too early…" Nozomi said.

"Uhm….alright, but you still haven't told me why it's too early…"

"Simply because I'm looking forward for someone to come here and mess with us…" Nozomi replied.

"Eh—Okay?"

"Who is this someone….?" Hanayo asked.

"Well….that someone is—…."

And before Nozomi finished … a loud scream was heard from outside. Nozomi, Kotori, and Hanayo quickly ran out from the workshop.

As they got outside, they saw blood trailing towards a figure, who crawled all the way from a great distance to the current location— and as they took a closer look at the figure, who laid down next to a female worker who appeared to be the one screamed….

"Eir…." Nozomi whispered the figure's name.

"W-Wh-whaa-wha!" Hanayo quickly approached her without any hesitation.

"K-Kayo-chan!" Kotori ran to follow her before Nozomi decided to slowly approach her as well.

They could see Hanayo quickly cast a healing magic on the wounded woman,

"A-Are you ok?" Hanayo asked.

The woman slowly open her eyes and sighted her savior,

"T-thanks…." She whispered.

Just a few second later, the soldiers came out from Nozomi's house and they all brought their weapon except for Eli.

"Eir?" the blonde's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the bloody figure.

"Eli…." Eir replied with a whisper.

* * *

After a while,

They took Eir to the Inn room and had Kotori tend to her wound.

"Say… what brings you here…?" Eli asked calmly.

Eir turned her glance away for a moment,

"Why are you helping me? Didn't you know that I was close to killing you?" Eir asked.

"I'm still alive…. And that's all that matters…." Eli replied.

"Being too kind with your enemy is dangerous, you know…"

"I don't see any problem in that, it's not like you can beat me any sooner at this rate…" Eli smiled proudly.

"Besides, I'm here to beat you up if you do anything bad… This is my territory, you understand?" Nozomi said.

"Hah— what are you, alpha wolf?" Eir said mockingly.

"You can say that… I'm the beast here. I can knock you down easily with all the darkness in the dark forest…."

"I know that, that's why I want to avoid fighting with you there…" Eir replied with a smirk on her face.

"Put that aside now, answer Ericchi's question…why are you here?" Nozomi asked.

"I…I just wanted to warn you about your mother…no one can stop her now with The End of Sorrow in her hands…" Eir replied.

"It's not like we didn't know… Eli replied.

"We appreciate your attempt, but… what happened to you?" Umi asked.

"Yeah…what happened to you, to get bathed in blood like that…?" Maki asked.

"I was…attacked, by her…. then she teleported me to the dark forest…. I was lucky to be able to make it out alive…." Eir replied.

"She needs to stop dumping her garbage on my forest…" Nozomi said.

"I'm not garbage…" Eir said.

"You are…to her…. and you will be my garbage too if you're being bad…" Nozomi replied coldly.

Eir frowned deeply.

"Such a rude jerk, you haven't even listened to my story…" she replied furiously.

"And what about you, mad dog? You're now on the criminal list too, aren't you?" Nozomi said boldly.

"What? No. No way. I'm the victim here, asshole…" Eir replied in the same manner.

"Nozomi…. let's hear her out…." Eli said.

Nozomi frowned slightly,

"If that's what you want, Ericchi… then let's do that…" she said.

"Good work, Eli…. You really should put a leash around her neck…" Eir said.

"Instead of trying to provoke her, why don't you just get on with your story…?" Eli replied.

"Very well, will you listen to me if it's a long story?"

"As long as we have the time, yes…." Eli replied.

"Good…then perhaps I should start from before I moved to Terra so that you all can see how it exactly goes…" Eir said.

"You're not from Terra, huh? That's a surprise…" Maki said.

"Yes…I wasn't from there…. I was an Earthborn… and long before that, I had a great father who always taught me how to hold a sword and fight as a real swordswoman…" Eir started,

"….my mother doesn't mean that much to me, the only thing she did was prepare food and all—she has never spent her time to bond with me…."

"That's something strange to say… she has never bonded with you, huh? But you always have bond with your mother, no matter how it is in your life…" Maki said.

"No, you don't understand… my mother has never cared about being close to me. All she wanted me to do is be excellent in everything— to be perfect so that she can boast about me…."

"I doubt that, I've never heard commander Lenora actually boast about you…" Eli replied.

"That was only after she met you… before that, she always boasted about me…."

"Oh…."

"She started to always compare me to you as she saw how excellent you were in almost everything… she even made a big deal about the time when you climbed high on the ranks so quickly…. And did you know? Your mother… Gullveig…."

"My mother's name is not Gullveig…" Eli replied.

"Sorry, but that's how her name is in the pirate colony. She is called as Gullveig by them…"

"I never knew about her pirate colony…." Eli sighed weakly,

"I know you don't…. but now, let me tell you…. your mother was my private teacher… my mother personally hired her at the time we moved to Terra—in order to find a better living than earth. We always thought Terra was the best place since their technology helped everyone to have an easier life…."

"How did you get listed as a civilian in Terra?" Umi asked.

"My father bribed the guards to list him and our family. He was the one who knew about the existence of Terra too… and that would be long before he died from the war that he joined… I find it unacceptable—and my mother didn't even care about that…she said… there's nothing she can be proud of from a dead man, so she will leave him alone…"

"Uh…wow…I can't imagine how it feels to be you…" Umi said with sympathy.

"How it feels to be me? Well, of course I'm angry. My mother is such a two faced liar. She pretends to be a nice woman in front of everyone—but she is truly not. She keeps making lies about everything… she keeps trying to make sure that everyone knows her as a motherly figure— she is not a motherly figure! Not at all! She is strict for no reason—and she is-…"

And just before she finished her words,

"...Eir, you can skip the ranting and get to the point…" Eli cuts in.

Eir paused, and she blushes slightly,

"Sorry…I got carried away…"

"You're always angry anyway, so move on…." Nozomi said.

"Right… so… ever since Gullveig was hired to become my personal teacher… I got to know her and… I realized, that I really wanted to have a mother like her…. she is so gentle, calm, and smart… even though she is strict, she always has a reason to be….just look at you now… you inherited her perfection….I'm really jealous….and I want to be like you…." Eir said as her face started to form a brighter shade of red.

"I could say that she is gentle, calm, and smart, I always loved her too…but… I…I just don't know what she actually thought of when she did this to me…and …to you…" Eli replied.

"For my case, it's simply because of something in the past, something that I told you about before…" Eir said.

"I guessed so…." Eli replied again.

"Hey, can any of you actually tell us what happened…?" Maki asked.

"Yes… you need to get on with the details…" Nozomi added.

Eir and Eli looked at each other, and then nodded to show their agreement.

"Actually, there was a case where Gullveig was almost caught as the leader of the pirates alongside with her husband— or let's say, Eli's father. My mother was the first witness… and….she used that as an opportunity to blackmail Gullveig. She swore that she will spread that news to everyone… if she refused to always hang out with her…."

"That sounds like a nice thing….?" Maki said.

"No, it's nothing like that. My mother and Gullveig can't get along with each other because they both have a different way of thinking…. And my mother is a boaster—I think Gullveig just can't stand her…"

"My mother is a proud woman too, if getting along with each other meant that she has to appreciate what she doesn't… then she certainly will not like it… She is hardly impressed…." Eli added,

"Yes….and that's exactly the reason why my mother had to force Gullveig to hang out with her… and the reason why she wants Gullveig to do so is because Gullveig was a very popular woman back then. Who doesn't want to stay around a popular woman? And who doesn't want to be appreciated by them?"

"So the popularity didn't just strike upon us…huh? That's new…." Maki said.

"…and did you know…back then, at that day…the time when you were terribly injured… my mother was the one who took the opportunity to announce you with the deceased verdict to Gullveig… so that she can get a hold of you…" Eir said.

Eli blinked in surprise,

"She really wanted you so that she could be proud of herself…and also to take down your mother's popularity if she could make her look like she was abandoning you… and that's also why I really wanted to turn you into a Valkyrie… a true elite Valkyrie, not the fraud one…"

"Did you realize you just called yourself as fraud?" Nozomi said.

"I know… I never like to be there…" Eir replied plainly.

"Everyone is arrogant, except for Valkyrie Minami…." She said.

"E-Eh?! M-My mother?" Kotori was slightly taken back as her mother's name was mentioned.

"Yes…Valkyrie Minami is a really kind woman… she is basically the one who changed almost everything… when she is around, it makes everyone feel so warm and…. Comfortable…" Eir said.

"Ah—now that clears up why being around Kotori also makes me feel that way—along with feeling fluffy!" Umi said.

"U-Umi-chan!" Kotori blushed madly.

"Even though her talk about doing good things, does make me a little sick at times, but she can make up with her open minded point of view…and also the aura she creates…. Basically, she is an amazing woman…" Eir said again.

"Strange to hear an honest compliment come out of your mouth. I thought you just knew how to bark…" Nozomi said.

"Nozomi…." Eli warned her.

"I'm just saying, Ericchi… you don't need to be a spoilsport…sheesh…"

Eli sighed as her lover puffed up her cheeks cutely in a pout,

"Don't make fun of her for now, ok?" the blonde gently gave a pat on her head which is responded with a playful smile on the purple haired girl's face.

Eir remained quiet as she glanced at the couple— a slight feeling of jealousy tingled inside her heart, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"Say though, do you also happen to know about the death of Vivian?" Umi asked.

Eir was surprised as she heard the warrior speak. Eli also paused for a moment as she heard the question.

"I've heard this from one of my workers… but I was never able to make any real contact with any of the Valkyrie… they said…Vivian was last seen with someone in a Valkyrie uniform… then after that she was found dead in that very room…" Umi explained further.

"Huh? Then do you happen to be the owner of that love hotel?"Eir asked.

"Oh—Shoot…." Umi put her palm on her face.

"Umi-chan…I didn't know you own a love hotel…." Kotori said.

"P-Put that aside!" Umi blushed madly,

"Haha, I bet if Honoka or Rin were around, they would be like—'Oh! we should pay a visit there sometime!'" Eli said mockingly.

"God! No! Eli!" Umi retorted.

"J-Just, answer me, ok? Do you know anything?" she asked as she turned her sight back to Eir.

Eir remained quiet for a moment, and then averted her eyes,

"No...Sorry, I don't know anything about it. Vivian died when I went out to practice…" she replied.

Eli frowned slightly,

"Then, do you happen to know anything about your own mother's death?" she asked boldly,

Eir smirked bitterly,

"You saw me here… do you think I'll have time to go to Valhalla, which is far away from earth, and return here again just to see you? You must be joking…"

Nozomi and Eli gave out a very slight smile on their faces,

"Oh? Valhalla was far away? Where was it to be exact?" Nozomi asked.

"Just a few hundred kilometers around Jupiter… You will need a super high-speed space ship to go from Jupiter to earth in less than one day… and the only space ship that able to do so is Valkyrie Minami's ship because she upgraded it with her alchemy knowledge." Eir said.

"I see…." Nozomi nodded, her smile indifferent.

And suddenly, someone knocked the door before it opened gently.

"Sorry for the wait…." Hanayo came in with a tray and a cup of warm tea. Eir surprised as she see it.

"Ah! Kayo-chan!" Kotori greeted her sweetly.

"Hehe, is she alright now?" Hanayo asked—in the same sweetness.

"Yup, I'm sure all the wound should be healed by now…" Kotori said.

"Then… here is a cup of tea for your energy— brewed by the best brewer in our village…" the sweet girl placed the tray on the end table near the door. Eir is somewhat amazed that she treated her so kindly.

"Right, we should let you take a break…" Nozomi said.

"Eh? But she hasn't finished her story." Maki said.

"We can hear more later, but for now, she should get some rest…" Nozomi replied.

"Say, did you poison the tea?" Eir asked.

"O-Of course not!" Hanayo responded instantly.

"Y-yeah, why would Kayo-chan do that? Sheesh! We didn't heal you just to see you get poisoned!" Kotori said.

"Your joke is not funny! Don't even try to do that here…" Eli said.

"No one is joking… but speaking of which— why don't you go drink a little to convince me?" Eir said.

"If I do that, they'll have to get another —…"

And before Eli could finish talking, Nozomi picked up the cup of tea and drank it all.

"—N-Nozomi!" Eli tried to stop her, but it was too late, the cup was instantly emptied.

"Thanks for the delicious tea, Hanayo-chan…" Nozomi said with a prideful smile plastered on her face.

"Nozomi-chan…." Hanayo sighed heavily.

"Our guest doesn't want to drink it, so I did it for her…" Nozomi said again before she stepped to the door.

"...either way, let's all leave her alone… perhaps she would like to plan out some dirty trick to kill us…" she continued before she left the room.

Eir frowned deeply,

"….and perhaps you will do that instead…" she grumbled.

"Just..ignore her, Eir….Sheesh, what's wrong with her— I thought that behavior was left behind…" Eli said before she leaves to catch up with Nozomi.

"I guess this won't go without another bloodbath…" Maki said sarcastically before she also left the room along with the quiet Umi.

Kotori and Hanayo flustered, as they both decided to sigh at everyone leaving the room.

* * *

Somewhere in space,

More than a thousand ships surrounded the endless citadel, the pirates, who were in their hidden state, revealed themselves along with the giant mother ship, which they brought with them. The police, the soldiers from Terra, the Earth mages, and a few other ships from another planet united their powers to crush the colony,

"Hah—the Valkyrie really is powerful, don't you think? Without them, we wouldn't have been able to unveil their hiding location…" Tsubasa appreciated as she flew with her space ship next to the other two space ships.

"…and I can't believe they actually decided to make war instead of giving up!" Anjuu said.

"Tsubasa! We need someone to infiltrate their base and place some bombs… we can't destroy the mother ship without that!" Erena shouted.

"Eh? Why would we need that, just keep poking it…" Tsubasa said.

"The barriers! They have strong barriers!" Erena yelled.

"Then, get Leyna to do it. If she fails, she won't die— she can't die anyway!" Tsubasa said.

"Leyna is currently in the soldier line! It's difficult enough for her to fight with a spear only—but damn! Where was her sword?! Why can't we find the culprit yet?! I blame the slacking leader!" Erena yelled again.

"Now-now, let's not sweat it… we still have our best spies…"

"Honoka-chan , Rin-chan, and Niko-chan you mean? I just sent them to earth to get the infiltrators that we need…"Anjuu said.

"Huh? Why earth?" Erena flustered.

"Oohh! You must've been talking about the trio soldiers! Well, Honoka-chan told me Eli is wounded badly—now she might be a little deformed as human being—she has plenty of holes on her body…"

"Tsubasa! W-why didn't you tell us?! Now I feel bad for asking!" Anjuu said.

"Don't worry-don't worry. Eli is a soldier, she won't mind to do that…"

"I mind! I don't want to send a wounded soldier into the battlefield!" Anjuu yelled.

"I'm glad we agreed that our leader is such a slacking jerk this time!" Erena said.

"I know, right?!" Anjuu replied.

"Sheesh, you two are sweating too much… if it's really bad, then her girlfriend probably won't allow them to get them all the way here…" Tsubasa said before she zoomed by on her ship to continue attacking.

* * *

Ayase's residence—dining room;

The family just had their nice breakfast together— even though it was just the usual breakfast, the man and the young girl felt it to be a bit strange. They felt that something was missing…

"You two… is today's breakfast not fitting your tongue?" the beautiful blonde woman asked with her gentle voice.

"N-No…it's just that… I think we're missing something…" the young girl stated.

"…and…what is this something, Alisa?" The older woman asked.

"Onee-san…. Didn't we meet her before?" Alisa said.

The older woman started to look a little flustered,

"Did you dream about her again?"

"I believe it wasn't a dream…. I saw her too and I could feel her…" The man said.

The blonde beauty smiled faintly,

"Perhaps you two should start taking a break…. Especially you, Alisa….you might have been too tired from going on your expeditions…" she said.

"No…. I know she is still alive—and you were the last person to talk with her!"

"I never talked to her…not recently… you really need to take a break, Alisa… you're hallucinating…"

"I'm not! I'm pretty sure I'm not! I rode a steam bike with her— talked about her girlfriend and even, hugged her tight! I can feel her, it's not a hallucination!" Alisa stated powerfully.

"I have to agree with her this time, honey, I swear I remember hugging her recently…and I believe it wasn't dream…" the man said

"Hmm…what to do with you two now… you're insisting something impossible… Eli has died long ago, remember? You saw her dead body… all of us did."

"I saw it…I feel it… I could feel her metal arm….cold and hard in my embrace… I can smell her scent… she is truly Eli… I swear to you…" the man said.

The blonde beauty sighed and then gave out a faint smile.

"Fine-fine… I believe this realistic dream this time…." She replied.

"You didn't believe it!" The man said.

"Yeah—you don't!" Alisa added.

The blonde woman chuckled,

"Well, what should I say then? You two really love her, huh? But really…she has died long ago…you two should stop dreaming…and perhaps also take a short break from any expeditions… eating food from the wild all day is bad for your health." she said as she picked up all the empty plates and stood up from her seat.

As she walked away, the man noticed something which was unlikely to happen….

"Wait, honey…." He called.

The blonde turn her sight around.

"You rarely bring a weapon with you…." he said as his eyes focus on the folded Sword-axe hung around her belt on the waist.

"And you're not likely to wear a belt around your waist…." He continued.

"Ah—that's! That's a proof that Onee-san was here!" Alisa pointed her finger at the weapon.

"W-what are you talking about, sheesh… this was mine from many-many years ago… you two just have never noticed it…."

"No, it was Onee-san's weapon! I swear I saw that with her before!"

"Now-now, I will not be on your side this time… I feel it strange for you to hide her— Why would you hide her anyway?" the man said with a frown on his face.

The woman seems to be angered as she heard it,

"…and why you two are insisting that much on your delusions? Eli is dead—she is nothing but sand by now…" she said.

"Gullveig….." The man called her with a sharp and deep voice.

"Gullveig?" Alisa asked in a surprised tone.

The woman seems to be very bothered by it,

"I really don't want to call you with that name in front of our children— but she needs to know… and we need to come out…. I've been getting a feeling that you're up to no good with that Eir Rangrid..if I keep it as a secret to them… what will happen to me and everyone else?" He said coldly.

The older woman chuckled with a mocking smile on her face,

"Well…now that you mention it, you asked about what happened to you when you screwed up my life with what you've brought to me…..? Simple…." She put down all the dishes and pulled out her folded sword-axe from her belt.

"Just the same with what will happen to you now…" she continued before she dashed at the man, but the man was quick and dodged her swing as Alisa quickly evaded it as well, though she also started to panic,

"M-M-Mother! Calm down! Don't attack Papa!"

And the older blonde turns her deadly sight to the little girl,

"You little brat, I've never loved any of you! All of you were just a tool that I made so that I can avenge my broken heart! I wished that all of you stayed stupid!" she yelled with full fury.

Alisa looked very surprised as she heard her own mother spout out such hateful words. The person that she thought, loved her most saying all that to her and to the person who she is married with,

"Mother…. that's not true, right? You love us…."

And the two stared into each other— with the older blonde completely unmoved by the begging eyes of her daughter,

"No….I never…." She said surely,

"I never loved any of you!"

Just within a few seconds, she dashed to her daughter which caused the man to run after her and—

* * *

The Koizumi's farm land;

Far away from the crowded village, Eli and Nozomi walked alongside with each other. Eli seemed to be limping as she did, causing the emerald eyes to keep looking at her secretly. It's not that she is too shy to show her caring side, but it's just that she understands that Eli doesn't want to look weak and be pitied.

"Sheesh….Nozomi…." Eli tried to call her, Nozomi remained silent, to have the blonde continue speaking.

"Why are you so furious with her, even though I know that she might be our enemy, it still not nice to treat her immediately like that… I mean…. look, she isn't making any offense to us yet…" the blonde continued,

"I would like to be the first to do it and directly. I hate back stabbing… just as much as how I hate being back stabbed…" Nozomi continued.

"We need to be a lot more strategic with our enemy, let them think that we're not aware of them while in fact we are extremely aware of them…" Eli replied.

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment,

"Well, you do that—your way, I do it… my way…" she said.

"Either way, we know what are we dealing with, right?"

"Yup, that's right…"

Eli chuckled,

"Now, let's do something else…" she said.

Nozomi turned her eyes down to her lover's body, looking at how it was partially covered with bandages. But over it she wore a casual shirt, black trouser and her mechanic hand, which was revealed vulgarly under her almost transparent white sleeve.

"Did you get into trouble for showing off that mechanic arm in the city?" Nozomi asked,

"No…. I think I ride your bike so quickly that they didn't even notice me…."

"Where's my steam bike?"

"Oh….." Eli put her palm on her face,

"Dang it… I left it at home…." She continued.

"How irresponsible of you! You should go back there again and pick it up…"

"I know….urgh…..how to do that though…." Eli started to think.

Nozomi smiled faintly,

"Let's get on a horse…" she said immediately.

"A horse…? Are you sure? I mean… it won't move that fast in the city…right?"

"Well, what will you do without a horse?" Nozomi asked.

"I just thought maybe we can go with a car…." She said.

"Won't that make things too obvious? I doubt you can even enter your home with it…" Nozomi said.

"I can…sneak in….?"

"Do you even know the map of your own home?" Nozomi asked again,

"Uh…that's…..uhm…..well…" Eli scratches her head.

"That's why you should believe in what I say…stop being too logical… remember that my horse is not a common horse… it's a Sleipnir… a dark Sleipnir…"

"Ah…right…he was...your summon…." The blonde said with an awkward smile.

"Sheesh, did you start to forget things…? How could you be so rusty, you're not even older than me…"

Eli laughed,

"Well…maybe my age isn't that long either…." She said jokingly—which somewhat made the mage to frown slightly,

"You'll live as long as me…. we'll live together…" she said surely. Noticing the change in her voice, the azure eyes turned down to the ground awkwardly,

"S-Sorry…I…was joking….I didn't mean it like that…of course…we will live together…" she continued.

"Good…. You're a strong one, right? Don't just give up just because you're broken… I know your body might be ruining slowly…. But I'm sure…. I'm sure you will last as long as I live… you love me, right? You will always stay with me because of it, right?" Nozomi said with a slight power in her voice, Eli seems to be astonished, though after a while, she responded with a smile,

"I promise…. I'll never leave you….I will always believe you…. Nozomi…"

"That's what I want to hear…. Now let's go to the stable and head out… I hope you don't mind if we have a little tour before we actually go to the city…."

* * *

The Minami's workshop;

Umi was currently cleaning up the workshop as Kotori remained on her seat— tidying up books in the bookcase. It was all quiet until Kotori decided to start a conversation.

"Hmm….I wonder if Kayo-chan will be alright …. I mean, I know that Eir-san has a bad personality, but…she is a victim now, right?"

"Honestly…I don't know… Kotori… Eir seems to be a little suspicious to me… from what I always heard…she was always one with a prideful figure…so…I really don't think she can be simply doing what she just did just because she was saved…."

"Eh? But… well… uh… she should value her life more than her pride, right?"

"Honestly…. As a warrior, we value pride more than life…." Umi replied.

"That's bad…. We should value life more than pride…." Kotori said.

"No…in our case, that's not an option. We are warriors— we will always face anything that might greet us with death, we don't fear death, we fear that we cannot do our duty as a warrior…."

"And…what is this duty again…?" Kotori asked.

Umi smiled slightly,

"Of course, is to protect who we need to protect….especially, those who we love most…."

Kotori remained quiet for a moment...

"Then… who will protect you?"

Umi was surprised with the question,

"N-No one, of course, we warriors protect ourselves…."

"That's not fair…. It feels like the warrior has poured all of their love, but the one who they love never love them back…."

"That's not how it goes…" Umi tried to make an excuse,

"You know Umi-chan…. the reason why I decided to join the police wasn't simply because I want to protect everyone… or because I want to protect the one that I love…." Kotori said.

Umi kept quiet to listen.

"….what I want is to prove myself that I am worthy of something, I don't always want to be the one who is protected— I don't want to be the kid that always needs to be taken care of….or just a burden for people around me. I want to show myself that I can dedicate myself to a passion… Even though at the police station—I won't be doing as much work as Anjuu-san, but, my knowledge of materials, magic and alchemy became a big help to them and they're grateful for it… that's why I love this job…" Kotori explained.

"….this is a little confusing for me… you're saying that you do it for yourself, but you love doing something because people appreciate you….? I mean…doesn't that also mean you're doing it for others…?"

"Sheesh, Umi-chan, it means that I'm happy to be able to make others happy!" Kotori said.

"Oh…."

"You don't even need basic alchemy knowledge to understand that! But…Anyway, Umi-chan! You see, because I'm a police, is that ok if I said that I want to protect you?" she said.

Umi blushed madly,

"W-what are you talking about? I'm a soldier! I should be the one that protects you!" she said.

"I know—but I want to protect you back…so please accept it."

"E-E-ehhh!?" the dark blue haired soldier flustered,

"So…are you going to tell me that it's ok for me to protect you?" the ash brunette asked,

"W-w-welll!" Umi struggled with her words—and luckily for her, the door suddenly opened to halt their conversation.

"Umi! This is urgent…" a red haired soldier came in.

"M-M-Maki! Thank God you're here! W-What is it?" Umi asked,

"Eh? Did I come in a wrong time or something? But...either way, we need to head out to space to help the war… The pirates decided to fight back…"

"That's brave of them… they fought back armies from the entire galaxy?"

"Yes… they're actually doing that right now and surprisingly, they have enough men to fight with…."

"Wow… they're surely not called as the biggest for nothing…." Umi said in awe.

"Either way, let's go, They need us…"

"What about Eli? We should go tell her too…" Umi said.

Maki remained quiet for a moment, and then her eyes turn to Kotori,

"Hey, you're a police, right? Will you replace her for now?" Maki asked.

"E-Eh?! Me?" Kotori asked again to make sure.

"Yes… you. I can't possibly ask Eli to come with us… she even limps as she walks…" Maki said.

"That's probably just because she is not used to walking with bare metal feet, she is basically walking with her bones! But I'm very sure that she still can be of some use, she is capable of becoming a sniper too, right?"

Maki shook her head in respond of her senior,

"It's too risky for her… As someone with medical knowledge, I insist her to take a rest. Besides, I'm pretty sure Nozomi will want her to be around as she prepares herself for whatever she is trying to prepare right now…"

Umi smirked bitterly.

"Where's Nozomi-chan?" Kotori asked.

"I don't know, the last time I saw her—she headed to the stable with Eli with their hands intertwined with each other's. They probably went out right now… so that's why, let's us three go and help them out. Rin, Niko and Honoka are waiting for us." Maki said.

"Uh, then I guess I'll go…" Kotori said.

Umi started to feel unsatisfied with this decision,

"Very well…." she said,

"I hope this is the right decision…"

* * *

Koizumi Inn—The Gallery;

Eir walked around the gallery quietly as she browsed around the art works which seemed to be always related to rice. From painting to Sculpture, it seemed that not all of them were expensive pieces, sometimes looked simple and classic.

As she walked further, she noticed a worker cleaning one of the art pieces that hung on the ceiling, a ball of glass lamp with paddy pattern engraved beautifully among the glowing warm yellow light.

Eir decided to approach him,

"Oh…good morning mam— enjoying the view of the gallery?" the worker asked politely.

Eir remained quiet as her eyes kept on looking at how the worker carefully cleaned the detail of the lamp.

"…..I take that as good…." He said awkwardly.

"Say…." Eir finally spoke up.

The worker turns his eyes to her,

"Why are you fond to your job?" she asked,

"Ah, that? Because I really love working here… Koizumi-san provides the best comfort for us, even though the money might not be as much as working in the city—it's still nice to be around here for the free meals and shares. All my reason to get a job is to keep my family fed—and they're very well fed in fact, so that's enough for me…" he replied with a smile.

"So you respect her?" Eir asked again with her stern voice,

"Yup, very…. My wife also really loves to work with her…. she is one of the maids in this Inn, my son works in the field along with my daughter, and they said they really love working there as well."

Eir didn't make a comment nor decide to reply, she just kept looking at how he really paid attention to every detail of the lamp.

"How much is the cost for that lamp?" she asked.

"Oh? Well… this…? I don't know, but I have a feeling it will be the same amount as my wage in a hundred years!" he said jokingly before he laughed on his own,

Eir once again didn't respond nor laugh with his humor. The worker awkwardly stopped laughing as he realized that the stiff woman didn't find it funny.

After a few moment of silence, Eir started to walk away without any words.

"What a strange woman…" the worker whispered to himself, then as he bat his eyes back to the lamp— he noticed one of the screws seems to be loose.

As he released his hands from the lamp and about to touch the loose part— the lamp suddenly fell down and scattered on the ground.

"Shoot!" He said,

Eir stopped as she glanced at him quietly. Not so long, rushed footsteps could be heard as though someone was running to approach the noise from the broken glass…

"Ah!" the voice lifted,

"W-whoa! K-K-Koizumi-san!" the worker said in slight panic. Hanayo remained quiet as she looked at the broken glasses,

"I-I will replace–ouch!" the worker accidentally hurt his own finger as he tried to collect the shards,

"A-Are you ok?" Hanayo asked as she ran to the worker. Eir surprised as she heard it and she turn around to witness it.

"Y-Yes…I…I'm fine…" the worker replied as he watches his hand being healed.

"Don't panic when working with something dangerous…" Hanayo said.

"Y-yes…sorry….I…. I'll replace it…" he said nervously.

"Don't worry about it, just collect them carefully and bring them to Minami's workshop. Kotori-chan should be able to work on it…" she said with gentle smile.

The worker nodded,

"I'm really sorry….i was…being too clumsy…."

"That's fine. Just try not to do that again…" Hanayo smiled gently.

"I'll collect the shards now…thank you…for the healing…." The worker said, embarrassed.

"Hehe, good luck…" Hanayo replied again before she left the worker to work. Watching how it happened—Eir seemed to be flustered. She decided to follow the gentle mage walking out from the gallery to the small garden in the middle with a koi pond.

Hanayo took a deep breath and as she noticed the visitor…

"Ah—Rangrid-san, welcome…" she said with a warm smile.

"Why are you not angry at him?" She asked immediately without even responding to the greeting.

"Eh? Why would I?" Hanayo asked,

"He broke something precious…" she said.

"Well…yes… that lamp is made by my ancestors, but… we can fix that immediately, we have Alchemy as one of our technology…." Hanayo replied.

"He was clumsy, it was his fault. You should punish him for that…"

"Uh? Why though? He already learned his lesson…?" Hanayo asked.

"You need to give him a real lesson—everyone can always say they already learned their lesson so that they don't get punished…"

"No, that's not me to do so… besides, I've known him for long and he is not that type of a person who does a mistake over and over and begging for forgiveness again and again. He knows his place and he knows his responsibilities…." Hanayo replied.

"You need to show your anger so that people will respect you…" Eir said sternly.

"E-Eh? Why would I need to be angry? I mean… I don't think being angry makes people respect you…."

"If you never show your anger, no one is going to take you seriously. They will laugh at you and stab you in the back as you look away…."

"W-what? Uh? No….I don't think so…" Hanayo said.

"It's true… if you appear to be weak… everyone will pick on you—and they will never listen to you…." Eir said.

"I-I'm sorry, Rangrid-san, I can't …"

Eir shook her head,

"You're the owner; you need to show them that you own this place…"

"I'm sorry, I don't get it, Rangrid-san, and they do know this is my place… by certificate too."

"I'm talking about the other thing— about how you should treat them…"

"H-how I should treat them?" Hanayo asked.

"Yes, you should discipline them. If they're not going with your rules, then they're not worth to be in your care. Not even worth to get your kindness. Only be kind to the person that is kind to you…"

"Sorry, I can't do that…" Hanayo replied immediately.

"Why can't you? This is your place, you have the throne…"

"No…I just can't… I'm sorry…." Hanayo replied gently.

"Imagine if your workers slacking behind your back, doesn't that make you angry because you pay them full time?"

"E-Eh? Well of course not, I don't pay them to work full time, I pay them to keep the Inn and farm running in the right quality… so even if they want to take a break, they can do so as long as the Inn and farm is running properly and they serve our customers properly."

"How you know they do it properly, they could've lied…"

"Well—I am working with them so I know well about the situation…"

"…and what if they just work properly when you're working with them?"

"That's why we have something that we call as trust…" Hanayo said.

Eir shook her head,

"You're opening your defense to trickery…." She said.

Hanayo seems to be bothered,

"Well—I….I don't know what you're talking about anymore! Sorry!" she replied before she ran out from the garden.

Eir seems to be slightly confused as she watched the girl running from her own place.

* * *

Pure Love Lens Lake—afternoon;

Eli and Nozomi made their first stop at the Pure Love Lens Lake. Their horse waited on the lake side as he grooms himself while Nozomi prepared herself to dive into the lake as she strips.

"Are you going in?" Eli asked.

"Yup…." Nozomi replied.

"Then I guess I'll stay here… I don't think I will want to wet myself….or….take off my clothes…" Eli replied.

"My, are you just scared to show your body? I told you I'd still bang you…" Nozomi replied playfully.

"No…it just that, even though I'm covered with the iron muscles, it's still…well…. I don't have enough flesh or skin to prevent the water from getting in to my body…it could be fatal…" Eli said a little sadly.

"You're still willing to take bath with me—so why not with diving…"

"It's different…Nozomi…"

"Excuses, you're coming in with me…" Nozomi said before she grabbed Eli's shirt and stripped it off without any hesitation. Eli seems to be confused of what to do to her—knowing that she will not listen anyway.

Just within minutes, the mage pulled her close to the lake and then quickly shoved the blonde soldier in before she jumped and dived in as well.

As both were inside the water, Eli seems to be a little panicked as she saw bubbles coming out from a few parts of her metal bone joints—telling her that water was starting to get in, though Nozomi just gave her a hint of laughter in her smile.

Eli frowned slightly and quickly attempted to swim up to the surface, but before she could, Nozomi quickly held her hand and dragging her down instead.

_Nozomi!_

The blonde's expression shouted the mage's name.

The mage just kept smiling as she kept pulling her deeper and deeper into the lake—and surprisingly, the lake is a thousand times deeper than what she expected it to be.

The blonde started to struggle as she tried her best to tell that she is out of breath, though the mage just smiled at her before she casted a magic on Eli, a magic that spawned an air bubble which allowed the blonde to breathe one more, then also letting all the water inside her body come out and fill the unexpectedly thick air bubble.

Eli looked upset at the mage who just played a mean prank on her, though she was also glad that she could breathe again.

"Sheesh, Nozomi… you're crazy…." She said

The mage just giggled—then for some reason as they got deeper and deeper to the depth of the lake, the area slowly turned darker which once again caused the blonde to slightly show fear on her face.

Reading the reaction, Nozomi once again created magic out of her hands. Summoning a small fairy with a light blue color, that gave out a beautiful aqua blue colored light that illuminated the surroundings.

Though due to the small range of the light and the darkness that eventually started to get stronger, Eli started to lose track of her dear lover who was supposed to be right on her side.

"Nozomi? Where are you?" she asked.

Then as she turned around, she could see a presence— a very huge presence swimming right next to her

As the small light got slightly closer to the creature—it showed the hint of sharp fins and tough-looking scales, Eli raised her eyebrow,

"S-sharks?" she mumbled, and then suddenly big sharp sinister turquoise eyes glowed right next to her. The creature appeared to be a very huge shark—and perhaps, big enough to be called as a young Megalodon with its tough scale as armor.

Eli once again slightly panicked as she realized she didn't bring any weapon—and she doesn't even know how to fight underwater especially when she's only wearing her undergarments.

"N-Nozomi!" she shouted in panic.

But then the creature began to laugh and eventually get smaller, turning back into a figure that she knew very well.

"Nozomi!" she called her once again—and this time, with an angry tone.

The mage seemed to be very entertained. Eli pouted at her and attempted to swim up to the surface again, though once more, the mage grabbed her hands—and surprisingly, it didn't break the air bubble.

Eli remained quiet as she looked at how her hand was held.

"If you're forcing me to go in just so you can keep pulling a prank on me, then I'd rather go up to the surface…" she said clearly.

The mage smiled faintly—then this time, she pulled the blonde faster down to the depth again, passing through the darkness and a few creatures that Eli had never seen before. She wished that she could take a look at it closer—and not with just a dim light.

"Where are we exactly going?" the blonde asked. The mage remained quiet and just kept going deeper and deeper.

After a moment, they finally reached a small entrance—and they swim in and slightly up to reach the surface. The bubble popped and Eli walked over to the land, looking at her surroundings in awe.

"Wow…what is this place?" she said as her eyes glued to the sparkling lights from the surrounding plants.

"This is the Pure Love Lens…. The true pure love lens…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah…. I see…." she replied.

"If we go a little further, we will find the Pure Love Lens City…" Nozomi added,

"A City? Here…?"

Nozomi nodded.

"Amazing… I've never thought of such thing to exist… Earth is a very beautiful place…" she said.

"Look there…" Nozomi said as she pointed at a rock with a lot of emeralds on it.

"That's the Emerald that you need to build my glove…" she said.

"Ah…."

Eli remained quiet— then as she turns her sight slightly,

"I've never told you, right? This place was all the way up on the surface a lot of years ago…and was just a deep pit before the nature filled it with water…"

"I've heard, that someone….was it you? I don't quite remember…" Eli replied.

Nozomi giggled,

"Come on, you're still young. Don't just forget things…"

"Sorry…." Eli replied a little sadly.

Nozomi seems to be not amused with the answer,

"Don't be so gloomy. Get yourself together, Ericchi… say something fun…." She said.

Eli remained silent for a moment,

"Sorry….I…I have no idea about what to say…" she replied.

"The time when I found you, you didn't seem to lose your sense of humor…why are you suddenly losing it now?"

"Ah? Well…it's not that I lost it or anything…it just that…I can't think of anything for now…."

Nozomi seemed to be unconvinced,

"If that's so, then let's just continue going further…hopefully those fairies know what to do with you…" she said plainly before she started to move again.

"What? Fairies?" Eli asked, but she was completely ignored.

"Wait! Nozomi!"

* * *

Somewhere around space,

Beat in Angel and Anemone Heart zoomed through Space before they landed on the mother ship—Terra. They are greeted by a few familiar polices running to them in a hurry,

"Aaahh! Maki-chan! Let me get on your ship now -nya!" Rin said.

"E-ehh? Why so sudden?" Maki asked.

"Didn't I tell you that we need to infiltrate their base to stop them from spawning monsters?" Niko said.

"Yeah, but why Rin?" Maki asked.

"Because I'm the one who knows how to operate it-nya!" Rin said.

"Oh?"

"We figured out that they used Rin's family artifact to do so… so, yeah… she will have to come with you…" Niko said.

"Can you tell us about this monster though?" Kotori asked.

"Yes, they're huge and they're coming in a lot of variety… we can't even keep track of it, but we know they're one of the undead since they seem to ignore pain…" Niko said.

"Ohh…Tsubasa-chan said, you all should hurry up because reinforcements are still coming, in about two hours away…we need to hold the war…" Honoka said.

"That's a long time…"

"Trust us; we already tried to get the quickest vehicle…" Niko said.

"Yep! So Hurry up and work on that!" Honoka said energetically as she pushed them back to the parking lot.

Niko sighed as she watched them moving,

"Well…at least I'm glad that they didn't bring that poor girl…"

* * *

The Pure Love Lens City;

Eli and Nozomi walked through the crowd of small houses and buildings. Eli seems to be very amazed as she watched at how tiny the details were for her eyes. She could see some little fairies looking at her with shy faces, some were cheerfully greeting her and some seemed to be wanting to approach her but held back by her friends, then some seemed to be worried about her—which she knows why.

Eli gave out an awkward smile and waving at them while Nozomi kept silently pulling her towards a certain direction.

Until they finally reached a small castle-like building…

"Ericchi… you should wait here, ok? I need to talk with someone…" she said.

"Alright…" she replied.

And just within seconds, Nozomi suddenly turned into darkness and went inside the castle—which is impossible for Eli to do the same.

Out of her curiosity, she was about to try to peek in to the castle, but then…

"Halt!" said a small high pitched voice nearby.

Eli turned around.

"You're too big for that—and your hands might break the castle, so don't touch it!" said a little fairy with tiny armors.

"Sorry…" Eli replied.

The armored fairy sighed weakly before she started to scan through the soldier's body.

"You're a soldier?" she asked.

"Yes…" Eli replied.

"That makes sense…" she said before she flew to the other side of hers.

"Hmm… I wonder if Nozomi-chan is here to ask for help about you…" she said.

"Uh…maybe?" Eli replied with doubt.

The fairy flew again, closer to one of the part that exposed her metal part…

"A little Alchemy can do the job, but anyhow, this is just out of curiosity… how did you get into this condition?" she asked.

"Uhm...I…I got poisoned…"

"Ohh… so you got poisoned… from those bees I bet….. Nozomi-chan used to ask the same thing for someone long ago… she was taken by the Valkyrie after to prevent us from being exposed to the earth…"

"Ah…I…I see…"

Then suddenly, a few fairies flew to her and they seems to be excited,

"Mimi! Mimi!" one of them shouted,

"Yes?" The armored fairy replied.

"Are we going to heal this person? I want to join in!"

"Yes! Yes! Look at those wounds! I mean, really! It must be fun to heal her!"

"We can't just do that, I think Nozomi-chan owns her… we need to wait for her permission…" Mimi replied.

"Aawhh….." the fairies seems to be sad.

Eli smiled faintly,

"I believe she won't mind if you do that, after all, that is her reason to bring me here…" she said.

"Oh!" They returned back to their excited mood.

"Then—Let's go! Let's go!" one of them said cheerfully before she started to drag Eli's hair.

"Yeah!" The other fairies started to drag her away.

"W-whoa…wait!" Eli tried to follow up with the fairies, who were surprisingly strong enough to drag her away. Mimi—the armored fairy let out a huff and returned to her post instead of following them.

* * *

The Pirate Mother ship;

Kotori, Umi, Maki and Rin with their full armor and headwear— dashed through the hall way with Maki as the lead, and with their quickest speed, Umi and Kotori tried to pay attention to every details of their surroundings, while Maki tried to make sure that everyone is in their stealth mode. Rin tried to locate the artifacts through her device,

"Uhm…It should be located at the main server room—but I'm not quite sure which one is the main server-room-nya!" Rin said.

"It should be the one with the control device…" Maki said.

"Uh…I can't tell…. I never looked at this kind of map-nya…" Rin said sadly.

"Let me have that…" Umi said as she tried to reach Rin who carefully turned around to hand over the map.

"Hmm…" Umi started to look at it. Kotori tried to take a look,

"Darn... it's the advanced map…I can't actually read this one either… if only Eli was here…" Umi said.

For a while, Umi tried hard to read the map—and perhaps, a little too slow to decide what to do. Without her realizing, she was moving in an unstable direction.

"Ah! No! Umi-chan! Watch—.." and before Kotori managed to finish.

Umi already drove away from the stealth range and she crashed her bike into a pillar.

"Umi!" Maki called her—she was still in her stealth mode as she watched her senior fall on the ground right next to her bike and fall unconscious. Kotori tried to move from the bike, but it seemed to be wounded on her legs.

"Darn…" Maki said.

"W-wah! Umi-chan! Kotori-chan!" and before Rin able to move from her bike,

"Rin! Don't!" Maki warned.

"But…."

"No…. let's move on without them. Remember our mission is to stop the artifact from summoning them… we can't fail this…" Maki cuts in.

"I know…but…what about them?" Rin asked.

"Let's leave. Hopefully they can survive once we managed to finish our main mission..." she said before she continued to pedal again.

Rin felt bothered with the decision, though she understood that the red haired soldier did have a point.

"Hey…Maki-chan…. aren't we cruel to do so?" Rin asked with her sad whisper.

"What's first comes first…. This mission is a lot more important than one or two lives…" she said.

"Is that so…?" Rin replied sadly.

"Yes…and we've talked about this before… so…. I…" Maki paused for a moment as she bit her lips bitterly.

"No…..I don't want to think like that….let's be positive…" she continued as their bike dashed through the crowd of pirates who were moving towards the presence of the unfortunate intruders.

* * *

**Ok, thats it for this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!**


	30. The Devils Wear Prada

**Ok, sorry for delay, here is next chapter.**

**And well... this is gonna end in like 2 chapters.**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves/ and follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson for Edit!**

* * *

The Village—Koizumi Inn;

The night falls, and Hanayo took a short break after her work day, at the balcony on the highest floor, watching the beautiful glow of insects flying around the lush fields.

Suddenly, she felt a presence approaching her,

"Have you ever been upset before?" the presence asked—without a single form greeting.

"Ah…Rangrid-san…" Hanayo greeted her sweetly.

"Answer me…" Eir said with an unfriendly manner.

"Uh…well…I…I'm not sure to be honest. I don't remember such events happening in my life…" Hanayo replied with her gentle and sweet voice.

"How could you not? Are you making lies?" she asked.

"I….well…I really don't know. I'm sorry…." Hanayo replied.

"A human born with expressions, anger is one of them. If you are saying that you've never been angry, then you surely are making the biggest lie ever…" Eir cuts in immediately.

"W-well! maybe I used to be angry, but…I..I just can't remember it…" Hanayo said.

"What makes you angry?" Eir asked.

"I…I really don't know. I'm sorry…"

Eir frowned.

"Are you an airhead? The only explanation to such things is that you're a total airhead…"

"M-Maybe…?" Hanayo replied—flustered and nervous.

Eir sighed.

"Very well. If you think that way, then I'll stay around…"

"Uh…but…why?" Hanayo asked.

"If I don't stay around, who will stop people from harassing people like you?"

"W-what?" Hanayo started to get more confused.

"You don't mind, right?" Eir said—without a single hint of smile on her face.

"O-Okay?"

* * *

The Pirate Mother ship;

As the soldier slowly gained her consciousness—the sound of shot guns and sparking thunder was heard from a short distance. As the sight gained its focus, the warrior noticed a light green wind barrier set up around her, and as she slowly looked around she saw a figure standing next to while blasting powerful lightning towards all the enemies.

"K….Kotori…..?" the soldier called her gently.

"Umi-chan…" the mage replied.

Realizing what happened before; Umi quickly straightened up from the ground and took out her weapon.

"Don't worry, Umi-chan… I've got them…" Kotori said.

Umi couldn't help but to look at the mage once more— she wasn't only wounded on her leg, a few parts of her armor were completely broken and penetrated by bullets.

"Kotori… I'm…I'm sorry…" she said.

"No-no, I promised! I'll protect you, Umi-chan!" Kotori said surely before she charged up her magic.

"…and this time—I'm doing it with full passion!" and the mage casted a massive thunderstorm over the area—creating a destructive wind, blasting the nearby pirates all over the place. Despite the catastrophic damage, some pirates managed to survive it and while some took no harsh damage from it.

"Aah…Why are they so strong!" Kotori said.

Umi looked at her in awe,

"Uhh… hmm…what to do now… uhm..I need another element…"

The mage thought to herself while casting her magic over and over. It's like she could focus on two things at once.

"Ohh! Right! Umi-chan!" the mage called.

"Y-yes?" Umi replied,

"Can I borrow your Reason of Courage…?" Kotori asked.

"Uh...it's going to be heavy…"

"It's ok! Just let me borrow it!"

Umi—with a slight doubt decided to hand over her weapon. Just like what Umi told her, the weapon was indeed too heavy for her—but she struggled to lift it up. A pirate started towards them and with her feet—Kotori casted a powerful wind magic to blow them away.

"Uhn…now…I just—need to extract the element…uh…." she said to herself while aiming at the air.

The soldier sighed, and gently held both of the mage's hands—supporting her with her strength,

"Don't be a stubborn. Come on; tell me where you want to shoot?"

"Uh...just…at the air….." Kotori said.

The soldier lifted the bow aiming at the air and carefully led the mage's hand to touch the string,

"Like this?"

"Y….yes…." the mage replied nervously.

"Then what next?" Umi asked.

"Well….this is going to be a little painful for you…but…."

Within seconds, sparks of lightning coming out from the mage's hand—which also slightly shocks the soldier. Though after half a second, the sparking magic slowly turned to a Water Arrow,

"Aha! Thought so! Now just shoot it to the sky!"

"Understood…" Umi guided her hand to pull the string and shoot the arrow towards the sky.

As the swift arrow reached up and disappeared from their sight, a thick fog started to surround the air then rain started to fall—inside the ship.

"W-what? Rain?" Umi flustered.

"Hehe, yup! With rain, I'll give more damage to them!"

"But…. with this temperature…." The soldier said as she pointed to the ground.

The rain turned out to be sharp ice needles pouring down on them.

"W-whaa! I forgot about it!"

* * *

Somewhere else in the Pirate Mother ship,

Rin and Maki managed to reach the server room and now they are still looking for the artifact. With their stealth mode, they could pass through walls and units easily—not to forget to spy on their current condition,

"Those damned Valkyrie sabotaged our system—and they also sealed off our magic… what next? Destroying our artifact?" the captain said in his anger,

"Well, their infiltrator seems to have failed badly. They just crashed at the hall and now our people are after them…"

"Hah! As long as they get their ass off this place, we still can win this damned war… so much for a unity…"

Maki looked surprised as she heard the word 'unity'.

The pirate seems to be busy as they look at their camera, watching at their people working so hard to defend their ship.

"Captain…this…this is just a question…" the crew said.

"Ask away, friend…." The captain replied.

"Why do you want to do all this for Gullveig?"

"The same with you… why are you doing it for me?"

"Ah…that's…because… I also want to unite this entire galaxy. It's enough with the battle of pride… and…I refuse to have the endless citadel tragedy repeated over again…"

The captain remained quiet after listening to his subordinate.

"Say though, captain, did you lose anyone in the incident? I heard you were a partner in the Endless Citadel itself…"

"I lost a lot of people…"

The crew member remained quiet to listen as well as the two stealthy intruders.

"The virus was too dangerous… I lost Kousaka, Sonoda, Minami, Koizumi, Nishikino, Hoshizora, Yazawa and Ayase…. Toujou could resist for a while, though she used her last power to move out the survivor from the Endless Citadel…"

"Sorry captain, is it wrong if I said that I pity you and them?"

"Don't be. We've moved on. Now that we're here, let us work harder and create peace for the entire galaxies… This is for our dear Gullveig after all, right?"

"Aye, captain. Let's work hard…"

Maki seems to be slightly bothered as she heard the conversation.

"Pssht…Maki-chan… the artifact is nearby, I can feel it-nya…" Rin said.

"E-eh? Should we actually destroy it?" Maki asked.

"Of course-nya! It is our purpose here! You said it yourself-nya!"

"I…I know..but….I feel wrong for doing it… it's your family artifact, right?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, what they're doing is wrong-nya, we need to stop them…"

"What's wrong with trying to unite the entire galaxy…?" Maki asked.

"For whatever reason they're doing this, they've killed a lot of people and destroyed a lot of planets. Such reason still can't be accepted as a way to make peace- annihilation to the opposing side will never be a way to make peace!"

"Then what about us? We're killing them too… is this justice?" Maki asked.

"Didn't you say before nya, that killing 1-2 lives doesn't matter when we can save a lot more lives from losing them? So why not? They're threatening a million lives, we need to stop them. Besides, all these would've never happened if they decided to surrender before-nya! We've never planned to kill them!"

"You're right…I'm sorry…. let's get it done…"

"Yup, let's go-nya!"

* * *

The Pure Love Lens;

A small fairy sitting on the shoulder of a purple haired mage, walking to a small pond where a blonde soldier sat in, surrounded by a group of fairies. The Blonde looked like she was having fun as the fairies tended to her wound—slowly reconstructing her missing flesh.

"My-my… Ericchi… aren't you having fun right now?" Nozomi said.

"Ah…Nozomi…" Eli replied with a smile.

"Sitting there with only underwear on…. And surrounded by other ladies… don't you feel a single guilt?" Nozomi said again with a teasing smile.

"T-there! You were the one who took off my clothes!" the soldier said nervously.

Nozomi giggled,

"I'm joking…I'm joking…"

"Sheesh…."

"Nozomi… Is she the person you were talking about…?" the small fairy on Nozomi's shoulder asked.

"Yep… she is the one… Titania…" Nozomi replied.

The fairy looked worried for a moment until it was replaced with a sweet smile after a while,

"She's bright as a light…Nozomi. You should take her to beautiful places… perhaps she will shine brighter than the Sun…"

Nozomi remained quiet for a moment, her face somewhat a little sad…

"Nah— I don't think she would want to go to beautiful places… maybe some excitement will work better…." She said.

"I agree, I would like to get some adventure… I feel a lot better now…." Eli said as she stood up energetically. Her body recovered almost fully—her right arm still exposing the metal part.

"You haven't finished your medication… Ericchi…" Nozomi said.

"It's fine, I think we won't be able to medicate that part…" said a fairy.

"Yes. Her right arm is a little too bulky for additional flesh…" the other said.

"Looks like it's already replaced with a better part too… so, I wouldn't worry about it…" Titania replied.

"Oh—haha, that's too bad, I was hoping that you all can fix that…. I really would love to feel like being reborn…." Eli said.

Titania raised her eyebrow,

"Now-now, Ericchi, you're demanding too much…" Nozomi said.

"I was just hoping! Sheesh!"

"Ah, Nozomi-chan… I just got a small idea here…" the fairy queen said.

"Hmm? What's the idea?" Nozomi asked.

"You said you all happen to encounter a homunculus recipe from the artifact, right? Also you already prepared for an attempt…"

"Yup, that's right…"

"Say, if it's possible, can you make two homunculus? I think I know a spell that happens to be in my library. I'll search for it later…"

"Two, huh? I'm not quite sure… but I think you would like to help us out in that, Our alchemist is not an expert alchemist— even though I'm quite sure if I call that woman to help us out, we will be able to make it happen…"

"Valkyrie Minami, you mean?" Titania said.

"Yep, her…" Nozomi replied.

"Ah, I didn't know Valkyrie Minami is an alchemist?" Eli said.

"Her family is well known as an Alchemist from generation to generations… Alchemy is their common knowledge, you know." Nozomi replied to her,

"They also always excel in wind and thunder magic. Not every mage can master those elements as well as them…" Titania added.

"Very interesting…" Eli replied.

"mm…Ericchi, aren't you interested in knowing about your family as well?" Nozomi asked.

"My family…? You mean… the light mages?" Eli asked to make sure.

"Yep, your family and my family always have been related to each other… don't you think you need to know about it?"

"I…I think so, can you two please tell me?" Eli asked.

Nozomi and Titania looked at each other for a moment,

"I would like to take the honor to tell her…." Titania said.

"Then please go on…." The mage replied.

The little fairy flew away from the mage's shoulder, then approached the blonde, looking into her eyes closely,

"I would tell you with words—but, I believe you'll find it more effective if you know about it in details… you're pretty sharp minded, right? So If I take your consciousness back to the past…?"

"I might be able to grasp the idea of what's actually happening…." Eli replied.

"Most Excellent. Then I shall take you there…. Nozomi will be your dear guide…"

"Eh? Me?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, I get a feeling that you'll have to be there for her— so that you can understand the situation as well…."

"I'm a little scared…. Honestly. There is still something in the past that I….don't want to see again…" Nozomi replied.

"Then you'll have to be her power, Ayase Eli…." The fairy replied.

"Understood…" Eli replied.

And just after they finally agreed, the fairy channeled a magic and sparkling dust, as the soldier and mage fell to the ground as their consciousness flew away to the another time line.

* * *

Somewhere—back in the past;

As Eli and Nozomi woke up from their journey to the other time, they saw a crowd of people in a huge city with powerful and neat technologies. Cyber and Magic in one area has never been more neatly combined than it.

The couple taking a walk around the area, stared at each of the familiar technologies laid out throughout the area and stopped as they couldn't see their own reflections in the mirror,

"Ah… looks like no one can see us here, Ericchi…" Nozomi said.

"I'm glad, I thought I'll have to be seen walking around—wait…." Eli paused as she looked down at herself,

She is already wearing a white shirt and black trouser— the clothes that she wore before she dived in with her lover.

"Looks like she knew that you'll be embarrassed without it…." Nozomi chuckled,

Eli smirked at her,

"Well—at least I get to see you in those clothes again…" she said as she stared at the long brown skirt, dark red vest and white blouse with bronze shoulder guard and glove that Nozomi always wore.

"Ah…well...this is my favorite outfit since you told me you like to see me in this…"

"You look fabulous…" Eli smiled sweetly.

"Sheesh, now, let's not go on with the flirt… we need to start moving to look for what we need to know…" Nozomi said.

"Alright, honey… let's go…."

And the two started to explore. Firstly, they examined the marketplace. It seems to be selling various kinds of technologies—from building materials to food ingredients, everything seems to be familiar yet strange.

They stopped at a market stall where the seller seems to be slightly familiar—orange short hair and playful face, except the gender isn't the same with the person they knew. The stall was labeled as: Hoshizora.

"Isn't that…. Rin-chan's family?" Nozomi said.

"Might be her grandfather or something…" Eli replied.

"So her family was a merchant…huh? No wonder they kept a lot of stuff with them…" Nozomi said.

"Hey, look… isn't that….?" Eli pointed to a few bale of rice displayed neatly.

"Koizumi…farm…. Hmm.. Hanayo-chan's family has always been farmer…" Nozomi said as she read the label on the rice bale.

"Are you sure that's the same Koizumi?"

"Well, if it's not the same, why would she bring us here? I mean—hey, we're on a quest, right? It can't be wrong…" Nozomi replied with a chuckle,

"I don't know how you could have that logic…but alright….."

"Stop being too logical, Ericchi…didn't we promise not to use any?"

"Fine….." the blonde sighed.

"Oh! Ericchi! Look!" Nozomi dragged her to a shop— a textile shop. They tried to look inside and found a mother and her daughter working diligently on tailoring. Even though they're said to be a textile shop, there were a few alchemy equipment set inside the building.

"I wonder if they make the fabric out of alchemy…" Eli said.

"Yup, I'm sure it's made of alchemy…" Nozomi said.

"Huh? Well—I guess I'll just say okay. No logic involved, right?"

"Yup, that's my Ericchi. Now let's go look again…"

And the two continued to move—just as they were about to leave from the textile shop, they laid eyes on a man with short dark blue hair, wearing an archery armor. He looks extremely attractive and gentle walking to the textile shop.

"Oo..that man…. Should that be, Sonoda?" Eli said.

"Probably…" Nozomi replied.

"He looks handsome…" the blonde said as she looked at him in awe.

"Ericchi… do you prefer his stick over my boobs?"

"Huh-what?" Eli flustered.

"Nothing, just stop looking at him…"

"Alright…." The blonde replied—still very confused with the previous statement.

The mage pulled her lover away faster— and not so far from where the attractive man stood, there was another man who seemed to be stalking him. He had ginger hair and blue eyes—and he was wearing a chef uniform. In all honesty—he doesn't look bad at all, somewhat cute and adorable.

"Uh…could that be… Kousaka?" Eli asked. " He looks adorable…"

"No idea, stop looking at another, Ericchi…." the mage said.

"But… aren't we supposed to pay attention to the details?"

"And the details you're talking about are far from what I expect! Besides— you like my boobs, right?"

"Of course I do…"

"Then, stop looking at another! You have me! Just look at me!"

"I..I don't get it, I'm just appreciating them! Why are you so upset about it?"

Nozomi stopped and turned around—hands on both of her hips and cheek puffed up,

"N-Nozomi…. I'm just saying that they have quality…it doesn't mean that I'm attracted with them or anything…. You're still my best girl…."

"I'm jealous, ok? Stop appreciating others! It's not that I want you to keep that to yourself either—what I want is for you to completely stop looking at another's quality….."

"Huh? Then what should I do with my eyes? I mean, I can't possibly stop myself from being attracted to an attractive thing…."

"Yes—you can stop that! I'm not taking any excuses, Ericchi. There's only me in your eyes, ok?" Nozomi said.

Eli sighed,

"Really? You want me to only looking at you? Why do I have to bind myself to something like that? Being attracted to look at is not the same with being attracted to have. I know I already have you, I will treasure you–and I swear I will not try to have anyone other than you….isn't that enough?"

"No! It's not enough!" a different yet similar voice was heard from somewhere around them. Nozomi paused for a moment; Eli also seems to be surprised as she heard it.

The two quickly approached towards the source of the voice.

Two women facing at each other— they seemed to be familiar, one of them had blonde hair and the other one with dark purple hair.

"Grandma….?" Eli said.

"That's your grandma? Then the other one should be my grandma—the one with the similar voice…" Nozomi said.

The two decided to watch them carefully….

"Why? Are you seriously saying all that to her just because you're jealous?" the blonde woman said.

"You keep looking at her! I don't want you to do that!"

"She was just a friend, damn it!"

"What kind of friend, huh? I know you're looking at her breasts—and her groin from time to time!"

"I was just looking! How many times should I tell you that—if I'm looking, it doesn't mean I want her!"

"Liar! I saw you flirting with her too!"

"That was for a task! I'm an assassin, remember honey? I need to pass her information in a less suspicious fashion!"

"Then you kissed her neck! I saw it!"

"I didn't kiss her neck! I was whispering something into her ear!"

The dark purple haired woman started to become frustrated,

"That's it! I'm breaking up with you!" she said before she quickly left the blonde.

"Huh? What?! Wait!"

Then suddenly, bright light shined around them.

* * *

They were moved to another time line and this time— they were in a huge church which currently held a ceremony.

A wedding ceremony….

Eli and Nozomi stared at each other for a while, then their eyes turning away to the decorations, paying attention to each detail in awe until finally they reached the altar. There was a couple, a man and woman standing next to each other and with a familiar woman as a witness.

"Ericchi….tell me…isn't that….your grandma?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes….she is" Eli said.

Then as the bride unveiled to have her sacred kiss with the groom….

"That's…my grandma….?" Nozomi said in confusion.

Eli raised her eyebrow.

"Wow…what? Why is she married to another and why is my grandma the witness?"

"Hmm…look at her again…Ericchi…." Nozomi said as she pointed to the blonde woman. She seems to be crying—not in happiness but pain and she appeared to be trying her best to look tough.

"Huh?"

"Could she be….assigned as witness as a punishment?" Nozomi said.

"Probably…." Eli said. Then suddenly, the light shone once more to help the two travel into another timeline.

* * *

Now they were standing next to each other, looking at the same two women once again. The Dark purple haired girl carrying a small baby in her embrace,

The blonde was about to say something—then she doubted for a while before she finally decided to speak up,

"Toujou-san…" she called her. For some reason, the dark purple haired woman seems to be in pain as she heard it. The blonde smiled faintly,

"You have such a beautiful baby girl…" she continued with a hint of pain in her voice.

"….. if…..if we ended up together…. I doubt that I would've been able to give you something so precious…." she continued again.

The dark purple haired woman remained quiet as she watched the blonde's, once bright azure eyes, darken in despair.

"Congratulations…. And….good bye…" she said before she turned around–about to leave.

"Wait!" the dark purple haired woman called her, the blonde stopped.

"Please… Move on…." She said.

The blonde only gave out a sad smile before she continued walking in her sorrow.

"G-Geez! You're so stubborn! Listen to me, will you?!" the dark purple haired woman shouted again, yet the blonde seemed to be ignoring her,

"….Ayase! Get a nice man to marry you, dang it! Then perhaps we can let our child marry each other!" she continued again.

The blonde turned around—still with a sad smile,

"…and do you think they'll be in love? You know you can't force someone to love what they don't…."

The dark purple haired woman shook her head,

"If we never met, if I had never known you at all…." She paused, and then she shook her head again,

"I can't even imagine it now…"

The blonde stood in silence, wondering what that was all about.

"While bringing up the fragments of all your dreams, I found myself, at some point, growing just as passionate…" she said.

The blonde seems to be more flustered,

"So that everyone's hopes will never grow dim, I want to protect them, I want to continue on protecting them… and I'm sure, we are destined to meet, and even if we will be separated, the feeling that I have until today will surely be bright and overflow!"

The blonde smiled,

"What are you saying….?"

"We might not be able to be together this time, but I want you to know….that the love that we've experienced together has never gone waste… It wasn't your fault only; it was my fault too for being too angry about your behavior…. I should've forgiven you earlier…. Because now I know the person who loves me more than herself…. I know you're going to give up on living… but please consider it… If you find yourself a good man to marry instead…. perhaps we will see the fruit of our love through our children…isn't that good enough?"

The blonde smiled sweetly.,

"What kind of logic is that? Sheesh…."

"What's logic?" the dark purple haired woman said playfully.

"Fine… I'll go with your idea…. Honey….."

Then suddenly, once again, a bright light stared to shine, transporting Eli and Nozomi to another timeline.

* * *

This time, they saw that they were returned to the first place, except they were facing a big door. The two decided to go through it to find a few people gathered in the hall.

"Listen-listen, now, do you all know why you're gathered here?" A man with red eyes and black hair said.

"To…listen to you farting?" the dark purple haired woman said.

"No–dang it! I gathered you all here to solve this problem. A mysterious disease has been found in a planet, they said they couldn't tame the disease! So they asked us—the greatest and most advanced people to help them cure it!"

"You know , here in this Endless Citadel, we're not quite the greatest or most advanced, right? We are just…you know…. bunch of nerds…" a man with ginger hair said.

"Shut up, Kousaka! You're not even a nerd!"

"I'm not sure if 'nerd' is a compliment or an offense now…" said the dark blue haired man,

Then an ash brunette woman chuckled sweetly,

"Sonoda-san, if people called you a nerd all the time, it means it's a compliment…" she said.

"W-whw-whoa… Minami-san…. I.." he blushed,

"A-Are you often called a nerd too? Then…if someone like you was called a nerd, then I suppose it is a compliment!" he continued with an awkward smile.

"Hey, Sonoda…. Aren't you already married to someone?" said a man with blazing red hair.

"Y-Yes! I am!" he replied awkwardly.

"Then don't hit on another woman….especially because she is also already married and has a daughter…."

"Oh—Ahaha….I didn't even try to!"

Then the man laughed awkwardly.

"Sheesh, nothing wrong with being a little playful, right—…"

The woman with dark purple hair leaned closer to the blonde,

"…darling….?" She said with a sultry voice as she touched the blonde's chin.

"W-Whoa! Don't just pull such a stunt! Damn it! Let's just get on the real work, shall we?" The man with black hair said before the light appeared once more teleporting the two onlookers to another timeline of the past,

* * *

The next stop, a familiar place—or perhaps…

"hm….this design…. Somewhat reminds me of my mother's room in Terra… except… it's a little bigger…" Eli said.

"Really? Then perhaps this is her room… Hmm..why does she arrange her room just like how you arrange my room?"

"Because we're born creative?"

"Hah! Totally!" Nozomi chuckled with sarcastic smile.

And suddenly, two little girls ran into the room.

"Wait-wait! Gullveig! You're not supposed to have that!" a little girl with purple hair said to the blonde little girl,

"But, I can do this! I mean, I know how to do this! I've watched enough!" she said as she held a vial of blood on her hand.

"I know—but still, it's our parent's research object, if you take that— you'll be in trouble!"

"I will return it once I'm finished with it! I promise!" she said.

"Gullveig….." the girl with purple hair mumbled, and then she smiled faintly.

"Very well, then I'll help you out!"

"Perfect! Then… how do we start researching this?" the blonde girl asked,

"I don't know… maybe, taste it?"

"Haha! Don't be silly!"

And again, Eli and Nozomi transported into a different place in time.

* * *

They could see each of the family sitting next to each other—then Gullveig stood in front of them, showing the vial of blood and a few other tools which she used during her research,

"So basically—the diseases aren't threat, it's not going to be transferred into anyone unless you are injecting some sort of blood or having a sexual intercourse, just like AIDs!" she explained to the adults.

"Ah, now that make sense, I'm surprised that you know a lot about it, sweetie…" said the older Ayase.

"Hehe—I'm mom's daughter after all!"

"Hmm…through blood, huh? Then I guess what makes them spread might be the war as well— I mean, we still use melee weapons, if it was being used to slice units to units, then it probably will spread if one managed to survive the damage from the wound…" Sonoda said.

"Say, though, by sexual intercourse, do you mean they spread through sperms?" The older dark mage asked,

"No, they may spread from the female too… so even if it is the same sex, they can still be spread…"

"That's really troublesome…" the woman replied.

"Hehe! Just as long as you remember, the characteristic of the contracted person is that they will be thirsty of blood for no reason. It can be inherited to the children—though there's a possibility of them getting the immunity from the disease instead of getting the same sickness… though it might be hard for them to get off the inherited trait. This means, their children might not from suffer the same thing as their parents. But they will inherit the trait as their base trait only... "

"Can we pretend that we never knew the symptoms?"

"Sure—well, if you want me to tell you how the sick will behave…well… they just simply won't be able to hold themselves from murdering anyone. Once they know they have to kill, they will. They will start to be selfish and yet be better at surviving…"

"Ah! So… is there a way to cure it?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I think we can remove that by creating some kind of homunculus and move their soul to the new body…"

Then suddenly the lights shine once again, covering them in a bright light and transporting them to another area.

This time, they could see Minami's family talking to the little girl who was from the Toujou's family.

"Please… Minami-san, I beg you! I wanted to save her! I can't let her live like that!"

"Sorry, but there's nothing we can do… even if I can make you a homunculus, you'll have to be able to move her soul to the new body…and it will cost a lot, unless you can get a hand from someone with strong magical power…like her mother?"

"No…I can't tell Ayase-san…. If she knows that her daughter contracted with the disease…. Alas…. Gullveig herself doesn't even know!"

"Then how do you know…?"

"There's…. something that I have…no…what my family has as dark mages… Something that make us immune to the disease and also to know about the existence of the disease itself… and…I happen to confirm it with my mother…but…. she said, we should move quietly and you might be the reliable one for this case…"

"I see…well if that's the case, then I'll give you a hand. Tell your mother to make a set of projectors and some puzzles, then give it to merchant Hoshizora, I'll pretend to browse that thing from time to time to deliver message, and then you and your mother should do the same. Next, you should find someone to help you with the magic channeling; perhaps you can just try to look at the magic technology shop…"

"Magic…technology shop? Why?" the Toujou girl asked.

"Because, I doubt there will be anyone that would be willing to spare her if you tell them about the disease. I have an idea for something, though I will have to talk about it with your mother. But anyhow, go to the shop, and then tell us if you find anything…"

"I see… then I'll head out to the shop…"

"Good luck…" said the older woman before the light once again teleported Eli and Nozomi into a different location in the timeline.

* * *

As they appeared—they noticed a girl with purple hair standing right in front of an old man and a young handsome boy.

"Please…consider it; I really need it to save my friend…." The girl said.

"If you don't have the money, then I won't sell it to you… and it is not something to be borrowed by someone. Such weapons can only be held by a worthy mage…" the old man said.

"But…such amount is impossible, even for us…"

"It was made to be impossible so that no one will buy it…" the old man said.

"Dad… she looks serious…we should help her…" the boy said.

"Shut up, you can't even give me a child to inherit the family's wit!"

"I'm still too young, dad! I don't want to marry anyone yet! Besides! Why are you bringing that up?" the boy said.

"Simply, because there's a beautiful girl right in front of you—and you're not interested?"

"Dad….please—…"

And before the boy was able to finish,

"I'm sorry, can't it be another way? Because... my friend..happens to be my crush and…we've been best friends…I can't just betray her…."

"Her…? Are you saying that you're in love with a girl?"

"Yes…I'm sorry…. I…I can't marry your son…."

"Yes…dad, that's just impossible. I mean, look! She isn't in the right swing for me!"

"Who said I want you to marry her? I just want you to give me a baby!"

"…and that's impossible without marriage!"

"I don't care! I'm not giving my most brilliant invention to someone who can't even grant my dream!"

Then once again, the light took the watchers and placed them on another time line,

* * *

The boy and the purple haired girl stood right in front of each other,

"Sorry….you have to go through this because of my father…." The boy said as he scratches his head shyly.

"I don't mind if you dump me for your friend later… I just need the child of ours… to inherit my father's invention and knowledge…" he continued.

"You will need me around to raise our child later, silly… but, it's not the correct time to discuss about that… not the correct age either. Your father surely is being too hasty about it…" the girl said.

"Ah—he is just a dying old man. Perhaps he is worried because I've never been interested in females…nor to see their body. To be honest, I'm more interested on looking into masculine body…."

"W-wait…don't tell me….?"

"Ah…ahaha… well, yes… but it's not weird, right? I mean…look, you're into your same gender as well…"

The girl chuckled,

"Have you talked about this to anyone you're interested with?"

"My crush? Well… he doesn't even know that I'm into him… he is too innocent for such things…despite his position as the Pirate Prince…"

"Ah…."

"Then perhaps he doesn't swing that way either… but ah, either way, good luck on your quest…." He turned around,

"I'll be waiting for you at the altar to finish our deeds…"

Then again, the couple traveled away to another time.

* * *

This time, they were faced with fire burning the entire building, they couldn't feel the heat—though they knew that this building was burning with unusual flames…

"This is…." Nozomi mumbled as she looked at the bright flames.

"The Light Flame, the most dangerous fire ever existed…" she continued.

Eli remained quiet as she watched the building turn into ruins. Then a loud thump heard from a distance—which made the two run to approach it. A young man in a groom suit and a purple haired young woman wearing a bride dress stood near the altar as they looked into a blonde woman with her messy hair, fire on her hand and blood covering most of her clothing. Dead bodies scattered around the floor with pool of blood everywhere.

"I….I can't believe it… so this is why you told me to drink that poison?" the blonde said.

The purple haired woman remained quiet.

"You wanted to kill me…so that you can marry him….? Seriously?" the blonde said again.

"It wasn't a lethal poison; it's just going to put you to sleep—so that you won't have to look at this…"

"Well—it's too late now…I can see you…I can see what you do to me… you betrayed me! And I will not accept this!"

"Gullveig! Stop! This is not exactly what you think!" The man said.

"Silence!" the blonde blasted a ring of flame surrounding her.

"I had enough with all of your lies! I had enough with all of your betrayal! I'll destroy this entire city—so that you all suffer under my feet! And I…. will never give any mercy!"

And her flame began to blaze brighter as her anger rose at its peak.

"Gullveig—!" and as the purple haired woman tried to call her, the man held her down,

"No…she is too strong… there's not enough darkness for you to use!"

"But—…"

Then suddenly, a flash of light shines— two older women came in,

"That's enough!" the older woman with blonde hair said,

"You've burnt down a chapel completely, now I have to make you behave….my daughter…" she continued.

"Mother…..?" The younger blonde turned around.

Then a few other people came in as well.

"Ayase-san… I'm going to back you up…" a man said,

"Yes, we will…" the other man said.

"We will have to shut you down, sweetheart…" the older woman with dark purple hair said a little sadly.

The younger blonde chuckled,

"Shut me down? You can't even cast a single magic here… old Toujou hag."

"Show some respect! I've never taught you to speak like that!"

"No! You be quiet, mother! You don't know what I feel! You don't understand me! Besides…." The younger blonde smiled mischievously as she rolled up her sleeve, then pulling off her glove, showing a mechanical glove with sapphire attached on it.

"I found this box of invention this morning….meant to be sent for the happy bride today…but I took it…." She said.

"That's…" the groom seems to be panic.

"At first, I just wanted to tease her a bit—but since now I see that she wanted to betray me anyway…." She chuckled,

"I'll use it to destroy her…" she smiled with furious rage reflected in her eyes.

"Shoot—Let's run!" the groom quickly pulled his bride away.

"W-Wait!" the bride tried to hold back. The angered light mage tried to cast something at them, though a quick arrow shot into her and canceled her magic— helping the couple to escape quickly.

"You're not going anywhere, sweetheart… you'll have to face the consequence…." The older blonde said.

Then the light once again shined upon them.

* * *

As the timeline changed,

Eli and Nozomi scanned through the area once again.

"This is….." Nozomi whispered softly.

"Somewhere around the earth?" Eli asked.

"Yes… this is… how the village was before the pirates invaded…"

"Ah… I see…." Eli replied with a faint smile.

"How nostalgic…. I can't believe I have to see this again… it was really a good place to live, neighbors were nice and my school….. Well… it was great…." Nozomi said.

Then they saw a group of people with messy clothing and appearance, they looked like they just escaped from somewhere…and they also seems to be familiar to them.

"Ha—ha—ha... Toujou… are we safe here?" asked a young man with dark blue hair as he held his knees. He seems to be familiar, though Eli and Nozomi are sure that he is not the same person with the one they met,

"No…I don't think so…" the woman with purple hair said.

"We all need to spread out… we can't stay in one area…" she continued.

"Toujou…." A woman with ash brunette hair called her in sympathy.

"I know this will be hard for all of us… but, to tell you the truth, it's best if we spread out into different planets or even galaxy! So if one of us is found, we can try looking for another's help and hide again…. Gullveig is too powerful, as long as the light shines, she will never be defeated…"

"I understand…what about the others?" said the ash brunette woman.

"I don't think we have to go too far with each other. Let's all at least find something to do to make us blend with our surroundings…I think I'll go find a city or something…" said a female with short brown hair and gentle voice.

"I'll go build up a traveling market… it's my dream to do so…" said a man with short orange hair.

"I'll go find a school or something, I really want to try something else than tailoring…" the ash brunette woman said.

"I might just go to build some sort of food caravan, it's also my dream to do so… then perhaps also raise up some good business?" said a chubby woman with reddish brown hair said.

"I think I'll go to another galaxy, my people might need me…" said the man with dark blue hair.

"I'll go look for a wife or something, then work out with the police so I can grant you all safety…" the woman with black hair said,

"Hah! Then I'll go build a clinic or something, just in case someone is being a dumb and hurts herself…" a woman with blazing red hair said.

"Hey! Who are you talking about, huh!?" the black haired woman yelled.

"I'm glad all of you have a determination to act and make your own life… We'll be staying here and work on some projects…hopefully we can create something to counter Gullveig. Then later—if the fortune favors us, we can defeat her and stop all this madness…" said the man who still wore his lousy groom suit.

"But if all of you are lucky… none of you will have to face her wrath… perhaps it's only me who needs to take the blame…" the woman with purple hair said.

"T-there…Toujou, what are you talking about… you're trying to help her, and she misunderstands it…"

"No… there's nothing that she misunderstood…. I betrayed her. Hopefully, her thirst will be satisfied as she pierces me with her blade… and so that all of you can live in peace…"

"Toujou…please… this is not your fault… it is ours to not realize it sooner…"

"No…it was me….I didn't share the situation and I was being too arrogant… I could've asked for help… and we could've not—…." She paused for a moment as she places both of her palms against her face.

"Oh—mother, please forgive me… I don't know what happened to you now…" she mumbled.

"Toujou…you're not alone…we're all escaping without our parents… and none of us know what may be happening to them. Hopefully, they're still strong enough to beat Gullveig."

"I hope so…. Because this is all for the best…" the purple haired woman sighed weakly.

Then within seconds, the light appeared upon them again, traveling Nozomi and Eli to another time in the past.

* * *

This time, they could see a burnt down city, then two women who faced each other. A blonde and a purplenette…

The blonde started with a chuckle,

"So… are you here to tell me how many children you have right now?" she asked with a mocking smile.

"I haven't even got any with me right now… because you've erased the reason for me to do so…."

"Hmm…? What are you saying now? You did it for….what? Parents? If that's what you're saying then I totally got you….because none of them are alive at this point…" the blonde chuckled mischievously.

"…and you feel nothing about it….?"

"Me? Well… you've killed my feelings… you've made me lose my reason to love…."

"You're an idiot. Your mother… your father…and everyone else….have given you more love than I…."

"I can believe that, you betrayed me… they…did not…."

"…and yet you killed them…."

"They were in my way…"

The purplenette smirked bitterly,

"Gullveig, you're insane… how could you do all that just because I betrayed you? You could've just killed me…if I'm the only person you hate…"

The blonde remained quiet with her cold expression,

"You shouldn't have done all this…." the purplenette started to cry in her misery.

The blonde sighed weakly before she turned away from her,

"…and what will you do now? You know everyone have paid for your life…. Are you seriously just going to give in your life to me?"

The purplenette surprised as she heard it,

"You can see who I truly am now… I'm nothing but a monster. I'm nothing but a murderer… it's true that you've broken my heart, shattering me into pieces and slitting my throat with your hateful response towards what I did to everyone else. I am no one to love. I am not meant to be loved…" the blonde continued before she started to walk away.

"Gullveig, where are you going?" the purplenette asked,

"…and what are you doing here? This is a cursed place. The plague exists everywhere around here. You should go away before it gets in your womb… you never know what kind of children may be born out of you, right?" the blonde replied before she disappeared into lights.

"Stupid…. it doesn't work that way…. We all know that…."

Then once again, Nozomi and Eli traveled into a different time,

* * *

This time, they could see that they were traveled back to the town—the one where they saw everyone gathered in the past timeline. But this time….they saw…

"W-whoa! Is that you, Nozomi?" Eli asked as she looked at the little girl, who seemed to be occupied with looking at blue prints of engines.

"S-sheesh! Yes that's me! You don't need to act that surprised!"

"But you're so cute… it makes me feel less burdened…" Eli replied.

Nozomi raised her eyebrow as she heard her saying such things. She wondered what made her feel burdened…she thought it should've been her who needs to be burdened.

As they watched the little Nozomi innocently looking around herself, they also noticed a blonde woman standing next to the purple haired woman who lovingly looked at her daughter,

The blonde woman seems to be less amused…

"Look at her, isn't she cute?" said the older purplenette to the cold blonde,

The blonde stood silently for a moment before she sighed softly,

"Of course she looks cute…she looks like you…"

The purplenette chuckled,

"I really wonder about your first daughter…she must be cute too…"

"How can you be so sure…? She will certainly be looking like me…"

"and…you….are cute…. Gullveig…." the purplenette woman replied.

The blonde smirked bitterly,

"You think I'll fall to your lies again? Don't think so…" she turned away

"If what you're trying to do is to make me fall for you again, then it will never work… I told you… I have no more love inside me… I have lived long enough without one, and I feel satisfied with myself for being able to do so…"

"Love doesn't make you weak, you know?"

The blonde chuckled as she heard it

"Yeah—Love only makes you feel betrayed…" she said.

"No… it's not… you should stop blaming everyone and focus on me…. I'm the one who makes love have a bad name… you should blame me…."

The blonde rolled her eyes before she started to walk away.

"Gullveig! Listen to me! Stop blaming everything on the innocent! Gullveig!"

And again, Nozomi and Eli traveled away from the very timeline.

* * *

This time, they noticed that they were inside the mothership—Terra.

A blonde little girl moving around and dancing in her dress,

Nozomi swears that she almost burst into a laughing fit, though she decided to hold it in.

"There! Nozomi! I didn't laugh at the small you!"

"But…that Ericchi…. isn't she too cute…?"

"Bah, screw that. Let's see what we have here…" Eli said as they started to look around,

"I don't remember to have anything important to remember…" she continued as they kept walking through the area. Then suddenly, they noticed a group of men standing in front of the familiar blonde woman.

"Remember my word, if you find the Toujou family… give them some extra excitement, you can do whatever to them… but remember, spare the child, let her live and it's best if you let her see how you slaughter her family—as brutal as you can. Not to forget to give her the idea of space pirate as the one who did it…"

"But…why?" asked one of the men

"Why? You're asking me why?"

"N-No-not really!"

"Good, now go, raid the earth. Enjoy your haul…"

The men nodded and moved away.

As they got further, the blonde woman chuckled,

"It's not like you will survive anyway. She isn't a weak mage… and there's the dark forest on her side…" she whispered,

"…but ah… I can't wait to see his face when knowing that his pirates were slaughtered by a single mage… he surely will be angry and I'll have an excuse to kill him…"

And as she let out a small laughter, Nozomi and Eli once again saw a bright light, allowing the two to travel to the next location in the past.

This time..they were once again in a room full of fire…

"Oh…no…." Nozomi whispered in a shaky breath,

"What's wrong, Nozomi?" Eli asked.

"This is…" she started, sounding agitated,

Then suddenly, they saw a woman with a little girl in her arms. She quickly ran into a big empty chest, placing her down there and giving her a kiss on her forehead.

"Nozomi… please hide here, ok? Don't make noise…"

"Mother…." the little girl cried,

"Just remember what I've always told you back then…and….also…to remember that…I'm doing this…for the best of everyone else. Someone needs to put an end…then for what happens next…. I'm sure you can deal with it. You're a strong mage….right?"

The little girl nodded,

"Now… don't lose your dreams for the future…. If the fate tells you to fall in love with someone, then perhaps—it's a good opportunity to change your life entirely… and when you have made a decision to do so—please remember, don't even try to play with their hearts. Just be loyal, be true…and be yourself… always…"

Then the door opened roughly.

"Aha! Here is the bitch!" said a big man with a harpoon in his hand. The woman quickly shut down the chest.

Nozomi seems to be very agitated as she saw them,

"No! No! Please… don't make me see this again!" she begged with a whisper, whimpering, her hand gripping into her own clothes.

"Nozomi…" Eli grabs her shoulder,

And as the other men appeared from the door….

* * *

Present-The Police ship;

Maki, Umi, Kotori, and Rin returned to the police station,

"Sheesh...what was with that ice needle rain… I can't believe you two used that as a way to survive… I mean, hey, those ice needle rains were dangerous for us too…" Maki said.

"Hehe—well, we survived, and that's everything that matters, right?" Kotori smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah-nya! We also completed the mission! Now they just need to capture the pirates and start investigating them-nya…" Rin said.

"Hey, Umi… you're not mad because I left you, right?" Maki asked.

"Huh? No…of course not…it just that… I…I can't believe I did that mistake…" Umi replied.

"I'm glad you're not angry…I really didn't want to leave you there, but I had to because of the mission…"

"Don't worry…I understand that…but… anyhow… good work…Maki…" Umi said a little weakly.

Suddenly, Honoka and Niko running in to approach them,

"Ah! Great! You all returned!" Honoka said as she got closer

The two police stopped to catch their breath for a moment,

"What's wrong?" Kotori asked.

"Well…we just got a call…from Alisa…."

"Alisa? What did she say?"

"Well, at first, she was just sending an S.O.S signal. Saying that she really needed help…but… after we investigate it further…it appears to be…that Ayase family is the pirate colony's mastermind. Alisa made a testimonial about it…" Niko said.

"Ah, we've heard about that…" Umi said.

"Huh? Really? Then why are you all so calm about it?"

"Because the one who said it was Eir Randgrid… so we have less than a half trust about it…" Maki added.

"Eir…huh? I think one of our men said that she is also a part of the pirate…though it's still quite a mystery about how her role fits in…" Niko said.

"Why would she say it if she is also part of the pirates then? Doesn't that only kill the mastermind and makes them have less advantage?" Umi said.

"Probably because she is trying to throw the blame off of her... Which means...she betrayed them…" Maki said.

"I'm not quite sure of that… there must be another thing that we may have missed… but anyhow, what does the S.O.S say?" Umi asked again.

"Her mother killed her father and then she was told to be heading to the village now, to settle the scores with Nozomi… the earth is at risk of being destroyed if Nozomi doesn't show up by the time she gets there… we need to find her." Niko said.

"Shouldn't she be with Eli by now?" Maki said.

"Yes, we tried to contact Eli as well, but. She didn't accept the call. A horse did and we don't even know whose horse that is!"

"Huh? A Horse? Accepted the call?"

"Yeah… we totally heard the horse…but we can't understand him…"

"Oh…hmm…I wonder where they have gone to?"

"Why don't we just speak to the horse?" Kotori asked.

"What? That doesn't make sense, why would we need to do that? He is not going to do anything even if we speak to him…" Niko said.

"Mm…Niko-chan, don't say that, Sleipnir is smarter than what you think!"

"Huh? Really?"

"Yup! Let's just say what we need to him, I believe he will tell them…" Kotori said again.

"Huh? Alright then, I'll do that…"

* * *

The Village,

Eir walks through the farmland as she carefully examined the workers— working cheerfully around the land. Hanayo—who nervously walked right in front of her, trying her best to not look at the sturdy figure. Eir is indeed a stubborn person; she has never felt like being too protected, even if Eir hasn't done much. It just that she could feel like her eyes might be watching a little too coldly for her.

"Uhh…R-Randgrid…-san….. I…I think you don't have to be following me around…"

"You're very fragile, what if there's anyone who will try to harm you?"

"I-I can protect myself! D-D-Don't worry!" Hanayo replied.

"It's better if you get someone's help, right? I bet you must be a pure mage—unlike that rude dark mage who seems to be working hard with her body too."

"W-Well, I may not look as strong as her, but…I'm pretty sure I can survive! B-B-besides! I-I have magic too! It-it's not going to be a problem!"

"Did you know, there's a crystal that will distract any kind of magic…"

"I…I know that, it can be mined from the Love Marginal, right?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I…I happen to be able to cast magic even if I'm surrounded by it. Simply because my magic is twice stronger than the strongest distraction crystal…T-T-That's why… I….I'm… I'm always dragged in when exploring there…"

Eir remained quiet for a moment, then turned her eyes away,

"A strong mage, huh? It's funny that your element is not Light or Dark…"

"E-Eh?"

"I know a lot about mages. My training as Valkyrie helps me to understand a lot of things. I'm an expert in it—and I happen to learn a lot about how to know a mage's element, or at least to know what magic or curse that sticks inside their body…"

"o-oh…."

"There's also this disease—which said to be part of magic and part of science itself. Gullveig explained it to me and… because she did so, I happened to learn more about that…"

"Ah—you mean..that disease which will eventually turn someone into a real monster?"

"Yes…" Eir replied stiffly.

"I know Gullveig has such a disease inside herself—then her daughter…also has the disease inside her. They will eventually turn into a monster as they live. The longer they are together, the faster they're turning. Her second daughter, Alisa didn't inherit the curse, so we can let her go… But we can't let Eli go. We need to somehow stop her from turning…"

"Then…. I guess… we can ask Kotori-chan to start trying to make the homunculus, right?"

Eir remain quiet, her face doesn't show a change of emotion.

"R-Right?" Hanayo tried to confirm.

"I would say that it will be too much work, but if that is what everyone wants to do, then let it be…" she said.

"W-what are you trying to say?"

"If the only way for her to be cured is to end her life, then it's better to do so than to hold her in agony… Not everyone can reach a salvation; even dark mages will turn against their own will at one point."

Hanayo seems to be surprised as she heard it.

"Look, now, do you think you know what a dark mage always has to go through every day?" Eir asked.

Hanayo shook her head shyly,

"They're dealing with their own darkness. The reason why they're immune to the disease is because they all have been trained to fight against such a thing every day… They may not be powerful during the day light, but they're the most powerful at night or at least when there are more shadows than in the light. They are even capable of transform into anything inside the darkness…."

"I..I don't understand, what do you mean by, 'dealing with their own darkness?'" Hanayo asked.

"As a dark mage, a mage who is born with dark magic who are as rare as mages with light magic; they tend to be haunted by plenty of spiritual creatures in their life. Without a proper education, they will turn into a bloodthirsty murderer who knows no mercy…"

"Sp-Spiritual creature?"

"Yes. Spiritual creature. They will always offer them a pact, a deal, or whatsoever and promised that they will help them mastering the dark element…"

"W-wow? I…I never knew… I thought all magic is the same…"

"No, Light and Dark Magic aren't the same with the other elements… that's why it's hard to find the knowledge…"

"Then, how do you know about it?"

"My father happened to be born as a dark mage. He got over his test by releasing his magical power and changed his route into a warrior instead…"

"Ah…."

"He never told me more than that, but…I suppose, if it could also help you to decide with what to do with your friends…"

"W-what to do with my friends?" Hanayo flustered,

"Yes… That, Toujou Nozomi… she has been a big trouble, right?"

"U-uh…uhm…yes…?"

"Exactly, we need to be aware of her the most—because, we never know what she might be planning with Eli. I know Eli is a little too innocent in this case, but, I'm just afraid that she will control her using magic. If she managed to get a hold of her power, then I don't know who can save us if she ended up with a decision to finish us all…"

Hanayo seems to be flustered,

"Sorry…I …I don't get it… why would Nozomi-chan want to put us into our doom?"

"No reason. I told you, she might be losing her mind at one point. She is dangerous; she is not someone to be trusted…" Eir said.

"I…I don't understand why you're saying such things, Randgrid-san, I mean…. you haven't lived with her, you have never known her. Even though you have such a strong theory as the base of your words, I still believe Nozomi-chan is a lot more capable than what you think…"

"Koizumi-san…. I'm trying to protect you. Can't you tell?"

"I..I know….but…I still don't think I would need a protection, especially when it is against what I believe to be harmless. I cannot trust you. I'm sorry…" Hanayo replied politely.

Then as Hanayo was about to leave her— Eir quickly spotted something moving in a very swift motion. She quickly grabbed Hanayo and pushing her down to the ground without alarming her.

Then as they managed to dodge the things that may have been a danger for them— they quickly moved their sight towards the figure, a mage wearing a dress stained in blood and bright flames blazing from both of her hands.

"Where..." she whispered gloomly.

"Where is that Toujou Bitch's daughter?" She said with all of her anger as her cold blue eyes pierced into them.

* * *

**There, that's it. Hope you Enjoy it!**


	31. The Light and The Darkness

**Ok, here is next chapter!**

**Thanks to Crimson for Edits!**

**Thanks to all of you for reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

The Road to Village;

The black horse galloped as quickly as he could with Nozomi and Eli on his back. The blonde rode the horse as the purplenette held her lover tightly from the back. Her eyes gloomed and her lips quiet.

_Nozomi… I'm sorry you had to see that again…_

The blonde said in her mind.

_But, at least now you know… the history behind everything. My mother did not plan to kill her after all… _

_It was my father that she wanted to kill…_

_And my mother… believed that your mother would've survived the attack…_

_Yet….._

Eli shook her head.

_Ah…No…. I can't blame her… _

_All she wanted was to put an end to her cruelty…._

_But, I don't even know if my mother is truly infected or not… _

_But I'm very sure she indeed enjoys killing more than anyone else…_

_So…_

_That's why…._

Eli frowned.

_I'll show you how to put an end to her…._

And they galloped quicker towards the village.

* * *

The Village;

As the violent light mage flew into the sky with a pair of giant white wings, she descended down, with increased speed, as the bright fiery axe rested in her hands, pulled up and aimed to collide into the fraud Valkyrie with two colored hair.

Hanayo stood behind as she tried her best to evacuate her workers—who also tried hard to evacuate the products they worked hard on for all the years. Even though no one told them to do so…

"J-Just forget the products! All of you! Save yourself first!" Hanayo said in panic.

The workers only remained silent as they kept on going with their desired task.

"S-Sheesh! All of you!"

And suddenly a blast of fire quickly approached them. Noticing, Hanayo quickly set up a barrier to defend against it.

"Aaaaahh! Sheeessh!" Hanayo screamed as she held up her barrier.

"You will keep that up, right Koizumi-sama?" said a worker.

"E-Ehh?! Wh-what? Why are you saying that?" Hanayo asked.

"Koizumi-sama loves rice, right? We want to save them… so I hope Koizumi-sama won't mind to protect us for a while…" the other worker said.

Hanayo looked astounded by their words. Though realizing something was very wrong with it…

"Sh-Sheeesh! What are you all saying! If that's the only thing you're worried about, then just take some seeds and save yourselves! We can regrow everything again later!"

The workers remained quiet as they were also found astonished by she said.

As once again another ball of fire struck upon the shield that Hanayo put up, they started moving again—but this time, they were actually leaving the spot to relinquish themselves from the area.

The battle between Eir and Gullveig had become worse. They struck each other with their weapons— the weapon that were not supposed to be theirs. Gullveig with The End of Sorrow and Eir with the Valkyrie sword—one that Leyna had been looking for.

Gullveig dashed towards Eir, before she landed down another fiery swing—burning the wooden crates that contained dried paddy and missing the agile fighter who also hastened towards the angelic winged mage, landing an upper kick on the latter's hand, and allowing The End of Sorrow to fly out. Without a moments loss Eir trapped the blonde woman by pointing her sword right at the lady's neck.

"Hah! Don't you realize… if you stab me with that—you'll turn me into a real Valkyrie?" Gullveig said mockingly as she raised both of her hands.

Eir remained quiet as she kept the edge of the sword steady in place.

"No answer?" Gullveig smiled mischievously.

"Do you think they will accept you? The only thing I could see is— even if you're as dead as the real Valkyrie, no one will accept you and they will immediately drown you into the sea of reincarnation… then perhaps renew you as a slave...or something worse."

Gullveig chuckled,

"So…I'll be reborn like you…?" She said.

Eir scowled indistinctly as she kept her mouth shut.

"Don't believe me? Well, I can help you believe it… you have never had any will of your own, right? It's either always for your father… your mother…. And always for me…." Gullveig said proudly.

"….then perhaps this time… for that mage girl?" she continued to ridicule.

"Gullveig… you should've known about how much I like you…." Eir said.

"I know… but what is it for me? I've never felt that I should repay you equally. Didn't I tell you…? Love…is nothing but a loss? You do something good to someone and expect them to repay you and then just right when you believe someone will love you equally, they will leave you behind—because someone can give them more than what you can give. Everyone is always looking for the best… and you always know that you can never be the best…" Gullveig said coldly.

"I don't mean it like that. All I was saying… is that I respect you as a mother…."

"And did you know the reason behind why a couple makes their children?"

"I'm not listening to you!" Eir shoved her sword closer,

"Hah…Of course you wouldn't. You've never seen the true face of love…." Gullveig's smile cracked wider,

"I said—I don't want to listen to you!"

"I know-I know… you don't want to hear the truth. So I guess I'll be quiet now and wait for you to turn me into a Valkyrie…" Gullveig replied again.

Eir stood in silence, glaring at the blonde mage. The place has gone quiet as the fire still continued to burn down everything around them.

"I can see uncertainties in your face… are you considering, what am I saying to you?" Gullveig asked,

"I don't want to hear it…." Eir said.

"Hmmm….. So… you don't want to hear me saying…. That…. parents just want to have children because they expect them to work harder and give them a better life? I can entirely perceive that purpose—if it comes from your family…" Gullveig said disdainfully. Eir in her annoyance, attempted to thrust the edge of the sword into her and yet…

Gullveig disappeared into lights.…

Formerly a wicked laughter was heard from nowhere in the air.

"Do you think you can just kill me like that?" the mad mage spoke.

Eir started to panic.

"Oh come on! I am Gullveig, the most powerful witch… I didn't get myself a title for nothing…" she continued.

Eir kept her eyes peeled towards her surroundings,

"Perhaps, I don't have that much fame… but you should've known… I could make anything I want turn into my power source. The Light… The Sun… The earth… the air…and everything else…" she continued again,

"I could freeze your bones into ice… I could turn this entire earth into ashes… I could move the ocean with raging winds… I can do anything I want! As long as the light exists—I'll never be defeated!" she declared.

Then just right after she said that, the ground beneath Eir began to tremble, Eir rapidly ran to escape—knowing that it's not something that will be good for her.

The ground flamed open with a powerful dragon-like creature appearing from underneath, attempting to bite off the fraud Valkyrie—who fortunately dodged the attack easily. Though after the first effort, another spikes of earth chased up to her and then a powerful blast of fire rained down.

She thought that she will see nothing in front of her— but a spike of ice wall which showed up and almost stabbed right into her neck. Eir dodged them quickly. But for no matter how agile she was at dodging all the catastrophic obstacles…

Gullveig appeared from the air in a speed of light, penetrating her axe right into Eir's body without a single hint of mercy. Her face displayed an abundant amount of satisfaction as she watched her foe's body cut into two—from the left shoulder down to her right waist, blood showering her immensely as the halved body fell onto the ground. Turning it into a completely lifeless body…

As the pool of blood poured down on the ground—part of her inner body scattered close to each opening. It was a clean cut, like the bones were entirely ignored.

The mad mage stared with a mischievous smile—then came a soft chuckle which eventually turned into a senseless laughter.

The laughter was almost endless—until a couple stepped into the ring of fire.

Eli—who stood steadily and Nozomi holding her lover's hand—showing nothing but misery on her face.

The mad mage stopped and turned her prospect towards them.

"Hmm….you're back again…. my clever and cute Elichika…." She said with a wicked smile,

Eli remained quiet,

"Are you here so that I can finish you off? I finished your friend in just a few minutes… you should need twice than that….right?"

Eli shook her head,

"No… We're here to stop you…."

"We….? You mean you and….. That piece of garbage holding your hand?" Gullveig said insultingly.

Nozomi seems to not give a single reaction towards the statement.

"She is not garbage! I told you—she is… my lover!" Eli emphasized,

"And what are you to me anyway?" Gullveig asked,

Eli frowned,

"What the hell are you saying… mother…. of course, I am your daughter!"

"…and what do I have to do with my daughter?"

The younger blonde began to get more upset,

"Don't you and I share the same blood? Aren't you supposed to love me?!"

"Love…. Love this… love that… love is overrated. You can't have what you wish with just love.. There's more work and action needed in life…and you know what I always told you? Love is nothing but loss, an attraction…or an action… and any action could be done to express love…. Rape…kill…or anything else…"

"You're insane, mother…."

"Ohh…why, I've never heard that from your mouth before? I have always been waiting for that, you know…."

"Don't you realize, you've gone too far to get revenge towards who you hate? You've killed her… it's enough! And you know she—"

"I did not kill her on purpose! It was that Old Lenora who made me do it!" Gullveig cuts in.

"It doesn't matter!" Eli interrupted.

"That old Lenora equipped his pirates with the anti-magic armor—she is the one who made the mage's lose! The pirates aren't that strong… they would've died in one mage's hand!"

"I told you—it doesn't matter! You should've known that she would've never died easily if she was not giving in to your desire! She wanted you to stop this!"

"What do you know about us? You haven't even been born yet!" Gullveig yelled,

"I know about you! I've seen it all!" Eli yelled back to her mother.

"You never saw what was important! You never saw how much I treasured her…. and you've never seen how much I wanted to sacrifice for her… for her love… for her heart…."

"She is sacrificing herself for you too—mother!"

"Lies! It's all lies! He could give what I cannot… He could make her happier… and he could lift her burden… and he could….make her have such a beautiful girl like her…" the older blonde yelled back again.

"I cannot do all that! I cannot do it… even if there's magic that I know… I still couldn't do it… because her love is only for him…and there's no more for me… she was just sweet talking…so that I can be fooled… so that she didn't hurt me more than what hurt me most!" she continued louder.

Eli remained noiseless as she observed into how much emotion her mother poured out.

"You don't know…." hint of tears threatened to roll out from the woman's eyes.

"You don't know someone just because you've seen a part of my past…." she continued before she started to cry.

"Did you know… just looking at you… at how you two are so fond of each other…it makes me want to cry… it makes me want to kill you two….so that I could stop being reminded at how many times she told me… that I am her only love… that I am the only one she need to live…" the older blonde pulled her hair in frustration.

"It pains me…. It pains me to remember her… it hurts me to remember how she dealt with everything since that day…. she killed me slowly….i could see her letting herself being touched by him… I could see her kissing him passionately…. And I could—…"

"Do you think I like to see that too?!" Nozomi suddenly shouted.

Gullveig turned her attention to her,

"Do you think I like to see my mother being raped by a gang of men? Do you think I like to see her being impaled by a dreadful harpoon? Do you think I like to see her dragged out like a sack of flesh?"

"…and what did you know about what I see? Do you think they didn't show me what they did? Do you think you know how it feels to hold my feeling as they proudly showed what they achieved? What do you know about hiding your feelings? You don't know how it felt to force myself to touch a man that I didn't even love, to let him touch me with his dirty hands… it scares me to remember… it frightens me to know that I've done all that…and make that blasted child…" Gullveig pointed at her daughter.

Eli chagrined,

"I want her to disappear…her and that other little girl which I never wanted to have. I wanted to kill both of them…. I never wanted them! I never desired for them to exist!" Gullveig stressfully shouted,

"Why are you not the one to disappear? Ericchi is fine to exist—she has gone to be my reason to love, my reason to live and my reason to change!" Nozomi shouted back at her.

"Then what about you?! You're just like that Toujou Bitch! Big mouthed woman! If you only want to kill me and her, just do it. You don't need to find a reason to make my daughter help you to kill me…"

"I do not want to kill her, nor you!" Nozomi shouted back at her again.

"Liar! You and your mother! Both are liars! Betrayer!"

"You don't understand, Gullveig!"

"I am the one who felt it! For whatever magic you used to see the past—I tell you…. Those are just excuses! Your mother trying to kill me—so that she could marry him!"

"It's a misunderstanding!"

"It is not! She was just trying to make an excuse! I'm not going to listen to you–who are biased because she always showed you her lovely side!"

"Very well—if you don't want to listen to me… then…." Nozomi clenched her fist tightly in despondency.

"I should tell you by force…." The dark mage continued as icy darkness came out of her fist.

"W-wait now… Nozomi, Mother…. let's not fight….I don't want to see any of you getting hurt… This is all just a—…"

And before Eli managed to finish talking, Gullveig rushed towards her—raising her axe up and aiming right at her daughter's head, though Nozomi quickly knocked her away with her wind power, mixed with the cold darkness—recoiling her far away from Eli.

"Stay away from her!" Nozomi shouted.

"Why? So that you can kill her slowly? I tell you what… I'd rather see my daughter die right here in front of me than to imagine you killing her slowly and painfully!" Gullveig said—which Eli, to some extent, took notice to her words,

Nozomi frowned and blasted another magic towards the older blonde—who simply put up a shield to cover herself. Then before Eli could say anything else—which she attempted to, Nozomi disappeared away through the shadow on the ground and showed up with her fist pulled—a glove attached on her arm, a vortex of dark wind appeared then as she launched her fist, Gullveig attempted to swing her axe—which was parried by a powerful mind barrier.

Nozomi smiled mischievously.

"You think I'll drop in unprepared?" she said as her fist reached Gullveig's face,

"…and you think I'll be unprepared as well?" Guillveig smiled before she enhanced The End of Sorrow with fire again, attempting another blow towards her, but Nozomi quickly launched herself away with her own wind power.

"Not bad, you're used to fighting on your own I bet…."

"Thanks to your constant attacks to my place…" Nozomi said.

Gullveig chuckled before she dashed in again towards Nozomi and then attempted another attack,

"Your place? Well... I totally thought you'd be dead by then…"

"Liar—you didn't even try to kill me…" Nozomi said before she summoned a swarm of dark bats from the shadows and sent them charging at her—yet Gullveig swiftly set up another big barrier.

"I just saved you so that I could kill you myself… but it won't be fun to kill a helpless child that doesn't even try, right?"

"You know that's what every stupid villain's try to do in the movies, right? Are you trying to be like them?" Nozomi said as she once again rushed in the shadow bats.

"Maybe…" Gullveig said before she vanished into the lights. Nozomi quickly stopped, then spinned around on her own—creating a circle which spawned dark walls that spread around the area—withdrawing Gullveig out of her hiding.

"Hah—stupid tricks…" Nozomi mocked before she quickly charged a powerful dark gust of wind and shot it at the older blonde, who quickly countered it with a powerful beam of light—breaking the wind and close to hitting the purplenette.

As the fight goes on, Eli could only watch and stay away. She knows even if she tries to help—there won't be anything that she can do between them. She doesn't know magic, alas, even if she could use her fist, she is very sure that she will just be an obstacle to her dearest lover.

She stared at them in awe, the speed was indeed not as fast as the battle between assassins—though the way they countered each other—she swore that it would require a lot of quick wit and power to be able to do what they were doing.

After a few minutes of battle, Eli saw the sky start to turn dark, and then a hint of rain, as water began to drizzle from above.

The fire around the area started to dim slowly—though not as quick as how it should be normally. The cold winds helped a lot. The fight still moved on—Gullveig doesn't seem to be concerned with the rain and neither did Nozomi. Both started to use either water attack or ice attacks, ruthlessly.

_Wow… are they both mind mages? With a different base?_

Eli said in her mind.

_Ah—I feel somewhat useless here…_

_I need to do something to stop them…._

And suddenly, a faint whisper was heard from a distance,

"Eli-chan!"

Eli quickly turned around to see Hanayo trying to call her. She beckoned the blonde and luckily the blonde quickly responded to her by approaching them.

"I'm glad to see you alive…" Eli said.

"Me too…but, I kind of need your help right now…" Hanayo said.

"For what?" Eli asked.

"We need to expand the dark forest to here…" Hanayo said.

"Expand?"

"Yes… I have a few seeds here, Eli-chan just needs to spread these around the area… then I'll do my magic to create a dome around them…" Hanayo continued,

"A dome, around them?"

"Yes… Nozomi-chan will need more shadows to win this…" Hanayo said.

"I see… then I'll do it…" Eli said.

"Great! Here you go… Eli-chan!" Hanayo handed her a bag of seeds.

"Make sure it gets around …then report to me quickly after!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a little further from the village.

Kotori, Umi, Honoka, Rin, Niko, and Maki arrived at the evacuation site, followed by A-rise, who just landed along with a Valkyrie personal ship. Valkyrie Minami and Valkyrie Leyna stepped down from the ship and quickly approached them as well,

"Good job on the rain, Kotori-chan. looks like it helped the village calm down… Hopefully Hanayo-chan can use the rain…" Tsubasa said.

"Yup…I hope so! Now we need to plan something!" Kotori said.

"Ah! Kotori-san…" one of the workers greeted,

"How was it?" Kotori asked,

"There are just some minor injuries, but everyone is safe. Koizumi-sama protected us… she is still on the site right now, along with the Valkyrie that we found lately…"

"The Valkyrie?" Tsubasa asked,

"Yes… Eir Rangrid, was that her name?" the worker replied.

"She is a wanted person. We just did an investigation and it turns out that she is the murder in a few cases. Starting from Vivian a lot of years ago and Lenora Rangrid, her mother is the latest victim…" Erena said.

"R-Really? I..I…I thought so! She had this strange aura around her!" the worker said.

"W-wait a minute… so Eir was truly the one who killed them all?" Umi asked.

"Yes... We don't have any doubt anymore. We found crucial evidence from where she lives… Valkyrie Minami confirmed it too…" Anjuu said.

Everyone turned to Valkyrie Minami,

"Yes… I can confirm it…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Can any of you explain about what actually happened?" Maki asked.

"Simple… the first case is about Vivian. We interrogated a few peoples including her because they were all last seen with Vivian herself. At the time when we interrogated Eir, she told us this…" Erena turn her eyesight towards Niko who held a set of paperwork.

"…killing Vivian? For what? I don't even have the member card to begin with!" Niko mimicked the accent of Eir which sounded like an angry woman.

"Then when we told her, that she can enter with only one member card…" Erena said again,

"Don't be ridiculous, you know that you cannot leave the place without that one member card. Yet you found the member card in her body, right?" Rin took the turn to mimic her.

"..And when we asked about how she knew that we found her member card on her body…." Anjuu said.

"Hah—everyone would know that, that member card is like gold to her. She would come in there and let herself be touched by all the dimwits. If there's anyone that will die along with her member card, it would be her!" Niko took the turn again.

"Then we found a member card of the Love Hotel in Lenora's wallet…. It makes perfect sense if Lenora had such a thing. She has been a widow in the past few years and we can see her being very lonely…" Erena said.

"We tried to confirm it in the Love hotel, and it really appeared to be hers…" Anjuu said.

"Eir has full access to her mother's wallet. Report says that she often did shopping for her as well..." Erena said.

Maki nodded,

"I saw her in the marketplace before… so I suppose I can believe that part…" Maki said.

"What's her motive…?" Umi asked.

"Well, we don't quite know what exactly her motive is, but we found something that might be the motive…" Anjuu said.

Niko took out a stack of paper in soft plastic.

"Here, these are the letters—letters that she tried to write for Gullveig…." She said.

"What does it says?" Maki asked,

"Most of them shout this kind of thing…. 'I want to be one of your daughters, Gullveig! I really want to be! So please adopt me and take me out of my own family!' ….. Something like that…" Niko said.

"Eir has been very obsessed with the idea of being her daughter. Then her mother, Lenora joined the pirates and joined the Valkyrie as well so that they have access to both sides and sabotage during the most important part of the day…" Anjuu said.

"Then, the one who sabotaged the Valkyrie ship…?"

"Yes, it was Lenora… but at first we don't know if there's any chance of her to change her form into Valkyrie Minami, but then…."

"Rangrid family specializes in shape shifting and psychic power. They can sabotage a single machine with just a blink of an eye…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"With just a blink of an eye? W-wow…."

"That's how she excels in battle. She knows how to sabotage her enemy's weapon…." Valkyrie Minami continued.

"I see… perhaps that's also why she is a worthy rival for Eli… because Eli's weapon… The End of Ordinary Sorrow can't be broken…" Umi said.

"Did you know who made that weapon?" Niko asked.

"Not really, I heard it's just an ancient weapon that Eli won from a tournament... she's also been upgrading it on her own too…" Umi answered.

"We just figured that the Tournament was all planned by the pirates—which means, the Ayase Family…. Gullveig is the one who made that weapon for her… and by then, Eir was also involved on taking Eli to the very tournament and helping her to win it…" Erena explained.

"Everything was recorded in Lenora's journal…" Anjuu added,

"…and she also seemed to taking a shine to Gullveig herself. She really wanted to be as good as her… and she also wanted to be able to educate Eir just like how Gullveig Educated Eli…" Erena added again.

"Then for small information, Gullveig has been spying on Eli… or let's say watching over her through someone else. Valkyrie Leyna and Alisa confirmed it… Not quite sure about how Valkyrie Leyna gets it, but Alisa said that she found a pile of letters from others and most of them were information about how Eli is…" Tsubasa said.

"Speaking of Alisa, where is she now?" Umi asked.

"She is hiding somewhere in her own residence. It was burnt, but she managed to save herself and a few documents that she said to be important… which the city folks are helping her to recover right now, there might be few more information later…but for now. All we need to do is to capture Eir and also stop Gullveig from going any further…"

"I hope that horse actually told Nozomi about it…or Eli…. I'm still worried if it will never happen and it's stupid to talk to a horse after all…" Niko said.

"Don't worry, Niko-chan! I'm sure he told them already!"

Then suddenly, an earthquake ensued, making everyone slightly panic.

"W-whoa! T-take a look at that!" Niko pointed to the mid-sky, as the ground lifted with trees growing and trying to catch up to the ground tower. Rising up to the sky sturdily, but what caught their eyes was a fiery slash cutting down the tree that tried to cover them up.

The trees developed again and more fire were casted upon them, slashing the tip and disabled it from growing completely.

"Ah! Could that be?!" Kotori began to look panicked,

"Gullveig….. She didn't get her title for nothing…" Tsubasa said.

"We have to kill her completely from her very soul…" Leyna said.

"That means, we need to use your spear?" Tsubasa asked.

"Yes… if we want to kill her completely, we need to do that.." Leyna said.

"Wait…now…. are you sure that's fine to do? She is Eli's mother…and from what I remember…Eli really loves her…." Umi said.

"But…what can we do? She needs to stopped…and killing her is the only way to stop her…" Erena said.

Leyna remained quiet.

"I may have another way to do it—but I need my sword… too bad it was stolen….and I'm not quite sure if it will work on a light mage. She can be slightly stronger than the real Aesir… "

"Does it affect anything?" Umi asked.

"Yes… if she is a lot stronger than us, she would be the one to take the sword with her…which means, she will also take all my Einhenjars…" Leyna said.

"Then it's too risky to do so… huh? What's a…Einhenjars anyway…"

"They're my warriors; I collected the lost soul from place to place. They will serve me for a purpose then I'll release them when they're ready so that they can live once again to serve another purpose of their own…"

"So…you can basically resurrect someone?"

"Pretty much something like that, it's not going to be that easy though….only those souls who have accomplished their duty can be returned to life…and they also have to be strong enough to be released so they can be perfectly materialized…." Leyna replied.

"Valkyries sound amazing… I may be interested to being one…" Umi said.

"W-waaa! Umi-chan! No! What are you saying!" Kotori protested.

"Eh? I just said that I may be interested?"

"No! Umi-chan! You're not!" Kotori pouts.

Valkyrie Minami giggled as she saw her daughter frantic about the whole deal.

"There-there… Kotori-chan...It's not like you'll never meet her again if she does…" she said.

"But—mother never came to see me!"

"T-That's….well…that's because I was afraid I couldn't do my job properly. There was still too much to do back then…. Now I have fewer jobs so I'll visit you more often, ok?"

"Hey-hey..now, we're off the track. We need to do something about Gullveig. We don't know if Nozomi and Eli arrived there yet—Hanayo might still be the one who is holding her off…" Maki said.

"M-my bad…." Umi said.

"I suggest, we go to the site and take a look. We need to somehow deal with her…" Niko said.

"And I suggest we get there with our ship…." Maki said.

"Why would we need our ship-nya?" Rin asked.

"Just look at that tower of earth…" Niko said as she gestured to the giant tower— the tower kept rising up as new tress tried to create a dome upon them, but the fire kept reducing the trees by cutting off the growth completely. Then new trees rises up again—yet this time, ices spreads and creates a transparent dome, with white fogs surrounding it which started to kill every single branch that tried to cover it.

"Looks like something is happening in there…" Tsubasa said.

And by then—everyone started to run to their ship.

* * *

Back to the village,

Inside the transparent dome with bright lights shining everywhere, Nozomi stood a little further from the wall, getting worried as she could see the lack of shadows around her.

"Hah…. You call yourself as a mind mage when you can't even cast magic without any shadows around… huh?"

"You're underestimating me—I know how to convert light into darkness…." Nozomi smiled mischievously as she glanced outside, looking at Eli who spreads the seeds in a wider area.

"Really?" Gullveig smirked,

"Yup…except I don't need to cast magic this time…."

And just a second later, the trees grew in the bigger area—covering the tower with its big branches and covering all the light—turning the bright shines into complete darkness

Gullveig frowned deeply as she saw the dark mage disappear into the obscurity.

Then in the blink of an eye, a giant creature appeared and broke the ice wall completely, scattering them into sharp pieces of glass, which was driven by the freezing wind to target the light mage, who persisted to survive as she put up her glowing barrier.

As the light mage scanned her surroundings, she felt a very powerful presence—lurking around the darkness, and then cold air started to run through her surrounding area. She lit up her weapon, and then started to check on what was actually happening around her. The great anxiety invaded her as the darkness felt a lot more dangerous than she had thought. But then again, she always felt nervous when it was dark.

An indication of a giant creature passed through her left side, then suddenly a malicious dark dragon appeared from above—attempting to crush her with giant horns but parried with The End of Sorrow.

"I was totally expecting you to try and eat me or something…" said the light mage,

"Then letting you to cut my throat from inside? You're joking…." The dragon said before she recoiled back and disappeared in the darkness again.

"Hah—At least now I know a dark mage will not lose their wit as they transform…"

Then suddenly, a big dark rhino appeared, rampaging towards the woman —bashing her with powerful horns and throw her far away into the wall of ice which covered with tree branches. Gullveig could feel the ice that she touched, and then she smiled as she sensed a thin layer right under her hand. She bashed it with her axe twice—creating a small hole which let a faint light escape inside,

As it happened, she chuckled mischievously before a powerful fire was casted out of her hands, not to forgetting to duplicate its power with her glove. The fire lit inside and burned its surroundings, revealing a purplenette who tried to use her powers and had it cancelled as the bright light blinded her eyes.

Gullveig blasted her flames once more, destroying the ice that surround the trees and then for her next attack, she created a wind and fire ring, chopping off all the trees and burning it down into ashes within seconds.

Nozomi guarded herself with the barrier—still staggered by the light that blinded her eyes. She carefully tried to regain her focus. Just before she was able to move, Gullveig appeared in midair—lifting up her axe and attempting to bring it down on the dark mage—which unfortunate for her that Nozomi managed to dodge it. She knew she wouldn't be able to deflect it with her barrier, her experience with Eli taught her enough.

Gullveig smiled wider as she glanced at the dark mage—realizing that it's not a good sign, Nozomi quickly sets up a barrier, just right before the earth she stepped onto started tremble and shoot up—pushing her up high into the air along with her barrier. Then before she know it, Gullveig teleported up above her—still with the axe in hand—endeavoring to cut her once more.

Nozomi frowned as she quickly summoned a wind wyvern to catch her and dodged the attack. Gullveig looked very amused with the girl; she quickly summoned a light wyvern for herself then began to fly to catch up with the dark mage.

Down under the fighting duo, Eli and Hanayo, who were busy trying to support Nozomi, noticed that they were going away.

"Crap, I need my ship…" Eli said.

"Uh… then, go on, I'll go follow them…" Hanayo said before she summoned her very own Sleipnir.

"Thanks…" Eli said as she watched Hanayo ride away with her Sleipnir.

Just at the time when Eli was about to run and get to her ship, she saw a few space ships landing—along with her ship being armed by the two familiar ships.

"Ah…. Beat in Angel and Anemone Heart…." She mumbled the name before she quickly ran to approach them.

Umi lowered her window—revealing that Kotori was with her in the ship. Eli without a single delay runs to her ship, getting inside and sitting on her pilot seat.

"Eli-chan. How was it?" Kotori asked.

"Nozomi went away with my mother, I don't know where they're going, but I'm very sure that I will have to stop them…" Eli replied.

"A-Rise and Valkyrie Leyna went to follow them… they said they might be heading to The End of Sorrow– which is now only going to be a big empty field with a few lush forest near them... and since we managed to destroy the endless citadel we should have no worry of getting crushed with it…" Umi explained.

"I see… Nozomi is probably going to take advantage of the basement room and the hills, there are plenty of them there…" Eli said.

"You…used to be there?" Umi asked.

"Somehow, yes..." Eli replied.

Maki lowered her window, while Niko and Rin were inside the ship as well seeing how both happened to be fighting for their place.

"Say… what are you going to do when you find them?" Maki asked.

"I'm going to stop them…." Eli said.

"How?" Maki asked again

"I don't know… but …I just want them to stop it…. I don't want to kill any of them…" Eli replied.

"I thought so…. You still love your mother, right?" Umi said.

Eli nodded,

"For no matter how she always tells me about how she truly feels—she is still the one who gave birth and raised me. Even if she told everyone that she hated my existence, I still believe that she has a small amount of love for me…and I want to tell her that I'm going to treasure it…."

"Heh…it's kind of stupid to try, why would you love someone that doesn't even want to love you back?" Maki said.

"That's the same case with Nozomi, right? Just remember how she hated me and how it turned to be…." Eli said.

"You were just lucky, you know…. everyone is different… you can't treat someone the same way with how you treat others…" Maki said.

"I already know that... But I just believe my mother is not that bad…." Eli believed.

"I believe you can do it, Eli-chan!" Kotori said and Eli instantly turned to the Anemone heart,

"Thank you…"

"No matter what kind of obstacle exists, a warrior will never surrender… you are a great example. I'm rooting for you…" Umi continued.

Maki sighed,

"Ah well… then I guess you can just do whatever you want. It's you anyway… how bad can things get…?" she said before she closed her windows.

* * *

Further away on the sky,

Two wyverns flew through the sullen clouds; Nozomi tried her best to dodge every shot that Gullveig threw at her. Some were effortlessly dodged, while some needed to be blocked with barriers.

"Keep flying! Toujou! You know you will never be able to escape from me! Just give up! Like your mother!"

"I really don't want to say this—but you're one crazy old hag!" Nozomi yelled.

"You don't need to tell me what I already know…!" Gullveig conjured up a powerful wind along with thunder, directing it at the purplenette, who was able to dodge before entering a thick, freezing cloud. Gullveig stopped before the same cloud, and then beamed arrogantly before she stimulated a powerful lightning and casted it on the cloud mercilessly, shocking the entire cloud with thunder bringing it close to exploding —but…

Suddenly, a dark shadow impended from above, Gullveig lift up her head to see a giant creature falling from the sky,

"Nephilim of wind…?!" Gullveig mumbled before the giant creature exposed his arm, attempting to catch Gullveig. But the older woman dodged him—without wasting time the Nephilim turned into a swarm of dark crows and staggered the light mage— making close her to fall.

As she thought there won't be any more surprises than that, Nozomi quickly appeared from one crow—on her wyvern and holding a gun—the gun that Eli gave to her. She pointed it right at the light mage and shot it immediately—precisely hitting the woman's head at point blank.

The light mage fell from her place. Her wyvern disappeared into luminosities and Nozomi only stared at the falling figure as the sky poured rain upon the earth.

"Looks like the world favors me today…." Nozomi whispered,

"—I wouldn't have been able to cast that if the sky was clear…." She continued.

A lightning struck nearby—the cold sky started to freeze the dark mage slightly before she decided to fly down.

As she do so, she suddenly felt a powerful presence appear from somewhere around her. She quickly put up a barrier—just right before a flash of light dashed towards her, showing up as Gullveig with bright enormous wings, who hacked The End of Sorrow against the latter's barrier, and shattering it immediately. Nozomi struggled to deflect it with her metallic glove—which amazingly shielded her enough, but it caused her to be thrown away from her place.

Her wyvern tried to catch up with her, but before he could do so, Gullveig cut off his head heartlessly, causing it to disappear. Nozomi—with a gun still in hand, attempted to take a few shots towards the light mage as she fell, yet Gullveig put up her own barrier to shield herself.

Gullveig watched the dark mage fall and noticed that she summoned another creature— a Gryffin that caught her immediately and hovered down efficiently to break the fall. Gullveig watched with a very unpleased look on her face.

"You're so persistent, Toujou…." She said before she flew down to catch up with her

Just right before she could actually do so, she saw a hint of shadow behind a thick cloud. Gullveig smiled mischievously as she slowed down her movements to prepare herself to greet the shadow with her axe.

Unexpectedly as Gullveig was about to cut down the shadow—it wasn't what she had expected it to be. The shadow was not even with the person she expected.

The Garden of Glass rode up to her—hitting her roughly as the axe landed on its tough body. Eli watched her own mother get flung away as she hit the younger blonde's ship, leaving the sword axe stuck onboard, Eli sighed softly before she quickly stopped her ship, opened her own door and climbed up to get The End of Sorrow back into her hands. Then she quickly returned back to her seat and dashed to where she saw her mother fall.

But just right before she thought that she would somehow find her— a beam of light was zapped her way. With quick reaction, Eli evaded it by steering her ship away, and then a second beam shot unexpectedly, breaking the left engine of her ship.

"Dang it!" Eli bit her lip, knowing that her ship was going to get a little harder to control—but even then she kept charging forward to find where the beam of light came from.

But before she knew it, a deluge of fire and a barrage of light beams were directed upon her—She tried her best to dodge them all, or perhaps just until a blonde woman with a pair of giant white wings appeared from behind the clouds as her fists raged with fire. She appeared to be not wounded at all, even though her clothes were stained with blood.

Their eyes met—the cold fleeting look was surely a sign that there was no way for them to talk agreeably. Eli frowned as she saw the older blonde charging up her magic, creating a long fiery light sword out of thin air. The younger blonde quickly turned her prospect to the storage before hastily running towards it— grabbing the hover board with one sweep of a hand and quickly jumping out of the ship before the light mage sliced her ship into two.

"You're trying too hard to be alive… Elichika…" Gullveig said.

Eli turned her eyes to look at her mother,

"Everyone in this world is dying… and life is nothing but a fraud. There's no reason for you to live, or try too hard to do so."

"Let's just talk about love, mother…" Eli said with a playful smile.

Gullveig frowned,

"Shut the hell up…. you're disgusting…" she said.

"Ah—you're too sensitive about that, huh? Then I'll tell you something, for no matter how hard you try to look cruel, I'll forever see you as my loving and caring mother. You gave birth to me, fed me and raised me to be who I am…." Eli replied,

"Is that you trying to tell me that you blame me for what happened to your entire body? I mean, look at you… you're not even a human anymore…"

"I won't deny that… but does it really matter? You always told me to be useful… and I think I've been doing just that…."

Gullveig smirked impishly as she let out a chuckle,

"Very well, then let me use you as a trophy right now, sweetie… so that I could add you to my kill collection…." She said,

"…right after your father's name…." she continued,

Eli widened her eyes—but before she could speak of anything else, Gullveig bolted towards her, raising her light sword while Eli quickly sets up her weapon to fend off the attack—however just before the sword landed, a powerful wind shoved her away.

"You can't parry that, Ericchi!" a shout came from the distance.

"Nozomi…" Eli turned around to see a familiar purplenette riding a Gryffin.

"You're no match for her…" Nozomi said.

"You're kidding me. I've fought a thousand mages… I can fight her…" Eli said.

"No… I told you, she is in a whole different level, even the strongest Valkyrie won't be able to defeat her… so leave this to me…please…" Nozomi said.

Eli shook her head,

"I remember the time when I beat you… so stop being so arrogant. I can do this…" Eli said.

"Ericchi! This is not a time for us to argue…! Just stay back and let me handle it… This is a battle between mages! It's not for anyone without magic!"

"I told you, I may have no magic, but I could defeat you—I'm stronger than you, so why would I let you fight her? I should be the one to protect you… not you protecting me…" Eli said.

Nozomi sighed heavily,

"That's stupid… you know… just because you could defeat me doesn't mean that you can defeat her as well…" she said.

"You're being stubborn…" Eli said.

"Look who's talking!" Nozomi replied angrily,

And just right after the statement, the quarreling couple felt a powerful presence reaching closer towards them. Nozomi quickly set up a magic barrier around them before a long, sharp light sword, came slashing towards them—hurling both of them away as the attack collided with the barrier. Being pushed back, Eli slipped away from her hover board. Seeing her fall, Nozomi, with a swift motion, grabbed her girlfriend and placed her down on the Gryffin's back, right in front of her.

"See? I told you… you cannot… Ericchi… You can't even fly to begin with…" Nozomi said.

Eli began to feel very burdened as she realized how much truth existed in the latter's words. Then as they flew, four ships approached them.

They were the Anemone Heart. Beat in Angel, The A-Rise ship, and a bigger, personal ship, belonging to the Valkyrie's.

"Nozomi-chan… hand her to us…." Hanayo beckoned from the Valkyrie ship.

"Ah, Hanayo-chan... thank you…." Nozomi quickly approached them, and dropped Eli off on the ship.

"I'll go on ahead; someone competent needs to deal with her…." Nozomi said before she flew away with her griffin.

"I'll go support her… take care of Eli, ok?" Umi said before she rode off along with Kotori next to her in the Anemone Heart.

"I'll go do that too…" Maki said, while Rin and Niko still fought for the seat right next to her.

Valkyrie Minami who sat on the pilot seat chuckled,

"Nishikino-san… you should start upgrading your ship later…. Then perhaps also rename it into…something like… Magnetic Beat in Angel?" she said jokingly,

"Heh— I'll consider that…" Maki said before she dashed away through the sky, following the Anemone Heart.

"Now-now, as for us, we will go ahead to save the poor girl… right Honoka?" Tsubasa said as she turned around to the said ginger, who was in the middle of grabbing bread,

"Yup! Let's go save Alisa!" Honoka said cheerfully before the ship skyrocketed away to another direction.

Eli still remained quiet, feeling very unsatisfied with everything that just happened.

Hanayo started to examine her closely,

"Hmmm…you're not wounded anywhere, thank god…." Hanayo said.

Eli smiled bitterly,

"That's a problem….for me…." she said.

"E-eh? A problem? H-how so? Being not wounded is a good thing!" Hanayo said.

"Why am I the only one who was left behind?" she asked with resentment in her voice.

Valkyrie Minami turned around to see the girl, and then another Valkyrie who sat on the co-pilot seat also turned to look at her,

"I want to fight too…. I know I can do it… and she is my mother… I have the right to do so…." Eli said.

"Eli-chan…. look, we know it wasn't your fault, and we all also know that The Garden of Glass was cut up like a piece of paper, we watched that… you know? But… now, it's not that there's any shame in it, you have saved us from trying to do the same thing. You have courage and that is all you need to earn our respect. No one is going to make fun of that…." Valkyrie Minami said.

"Do you think I'm fighting for my pride?" Eli replied angrily.

"That's how you look like…." Valkyrie Minami replied.

"Then I should tell you that it was all a misunderstanding! I did not fight for my pride…. I just don't want anyone else to be killed again by her insanity…" Eli replied again,

"You believe in Nozomi, right?"

"I do—but from what I know, she was weaker than I am. I should be the one who protects her, not her protecting me…"

"E-Eli-chan…actually, when I hear you say that, you sound like you really are fighting for your pride…." Hanayo said.

"Don't judge me like that! I am not!" Eli snapped,

"W-waah!"

"Hey, now…don't snap on her, Ayase…." the other Valkyrie said,

Eli turned to her,

"Valkyrie Leyna…huh? You're the most troublesome one aren't you… a Valkyrie with double personality…."

"Say anything you want about me, but to tell you the truth. Even if you want to deny what you're trying to do right now, we all can see that you're fighting for your pride…"

"I am not! What do I need from that stupid pride; everyone is the same in the eyes of the death! All I want is just end this madness and protect Nozomi from what may happen to her!"

"What if whatever happens to her, happens to you?" Valkyrie Leyna asked,

"I said, I don't care! I'm always prepared to die! But I don't want her to die, ok? She has a bright future waiting for her… she is nothing like me…." Eli replied as her voice got softer.

Everyone remained silent to listen,

"….even though she lives without a family…and even though she has stained her own name with the amount of bloodshed she caused, Nozomi….is someone with a bright future… I'm sure… if I am to be the one, who has to face the unwanted fate…. She will be able to move on…. She has a lot of things to do in her life!" Eli continued,

"What are you saying, silly girl…. Everyone can have a bright future… it's just a matter of how they craft it. It may be painful at times, but it's not that you'll never be able to make it somehow…."

"No…. I cannot live without her…" Eli replied sullenly.

Valkyrie Minami, Valkyrie Leyna, and Hanayo were quiet once again,

"The only future that I could see when she is gone…is of me….returning to the battlefield…. I will never be able to face this planet as I will eternally remember about how I failed to protect her…."

Valkyrie Leyna sighed heavily,

"That's called pride; you know… you can't bear to live without the pride of being unable to protect her. It's not that it's always a negative thing, everyone has a pride to keep so it's something normal…." She said.

"But…." Eli tried to reason—yet her mouth stopped as she realized that Valkyrie Leyna might be right anyway,

"I may not be able to understand how you exactly feel, but…. I have an idea to solve that…pride problem of yours… do you want to hear it?" Valkyrie Leyna asked.

"Please…tell me…." Eli nodded.

"Very well, if you really want to fight her that badly, I can turn you into a Valkyrie, then materialize your soul with your current vessel… and since you have the light element inside your soul…. you may not be able to last longer than a day—but that should be enough to do your purpose, right?" Valkyrie Leyna explained.

"W-whoa! Wait a minute! Then that means Eli-chan won't be living longer than a day after, right?" Hanayo asked.

"That's a bad idea… I'm sure Nozomi-chan won't be too happy about that…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Yes…I mean…Nozomi-chan…is working so hard to protect you, Eli-chan… if you do that… then everything she did will mean nothing…" Hanayo tried to reason.

"It's better than to lose her completely, I know my mother won't be giving any mercy even to her soul…"

"Wait, she should still be able to meet her in Valkyrie form, just like you, right?" Valkyrie Minami asked Valkyrie Leyna.

"Thing is... A Valkyrie soul is a thousand times stronger than a humans… and it's going to be hard to get the right vessel. Plus…if you have a magic element in your body, then it might require more quality to be able to let a Valkyrie stay longer than a year… The only person who can somehow enhance her own soul and create a proper vessel is…Gullveig…. And she is our enemy right now… we can't possibly know what she did or how she did it…. I've asked your little sister, but she said that she never knew how since her mother never appeared to touch any form of alchemy…" Valkyrie Leyna explained,

Valkyrie Minami started to think,

"Hmm…how she did it, huh? Well… to make the Vessel…or let's say…an empty Homunculus is already hard enough… I'm not sure of how hard it will be to make a vessel for a Valkyrie soul with a light element mixed into it…" She said.

"Can we put that aside? I don't want to think about it right now… All I want to do is protect Nozomi…" Eli said.

"So you don't care if you can live in any vessel or not later?"

"No…I don't care… if that's the only way for me to protect her then I'll do it…." Eli said.

"W-wait there…Eli-chan… listen… please also consider her feelings…" Hanayo said.

"Even if I can't find the right vessel, she will move on, I'm sure… her family is all born with that carefree trait in them, right?" Eli said.

Valkyrie Minami chuckled,

"I guess I can't deny that…. Toujou is always carefree…"

"It's not only that, by the way…. You also have to do a lot of tasks as a Valkyrie—which means, you will also be stuck in the battlefield just like what will happen to you, if you lost her…." the silver haired Valkyrie said.

"I'm aware of that…" Eli replied.

Hanayo, Valkyrie Minami and Valkyrie Leyna turned to look at each other,

"Ah well…" Leyna sighed heavily again

"Then…may I ask you once more…. Do you really want to do this, Ayase Eli?"

* * *

**Ok, that's it for now. Next chapter is gonna be the last chapter~ Please look forward to it.**


	32. Searching Behind The Light

**Alrighty, here we go...Last chapter**

**Thanks to Crimson for edits**

**Thanks for Reviews/comment/faves/follows!**

* * *

The sky still gloomed,

Nozomi on her Gryffin flew through the sky as she glowered at Gullveig who smiled at her mischievously. The purplenette sighted her friends, in the distance, trying to give her support as they hovered around the battlefield.

Nozomi conjured up a powerful wind as she got closer to her enemy—while Gullveig prepared her sword to greet the latter. Then as they grew closer and closer, Nozomi shot her wind magic which shoved Gullveig away—yet the light mage casted her own wind to reverse her movement—then unexpectedly charged to the front with her sword pointed up right to the dark mage's heart.

The dark mage didn't lose her wit; she quickly dissolved herself into a mass of black smoke to dodge the deadly thrust. Accordingly, the Gryffin turned into a swarm of crows, causing the light mages to flail. Taking the chance, a strike of an electric arrow zipped through the air from the Anemone Heart, piercing deep into Gullveig's chest. Then as soon as the first strike took place, a few bombs were thrown from the Beat in Angel, blasting the older blonde as the dark mage flew higher up to the sky in her smoke form before she turned back to herself. She summoned a wyvern once again to keep her up on the air.

"Did we win?" Umi asked as she drove her Anemone Heart.

Kotori—who sat next to her remained quiet as her eyes watched over the sky with her engrossed scan of the area. She didn't seem to believe that everything was over. As a mage, she still felt a powerful presence looming around. Umi who realized that it might not yet be over tried to contact the other ships,

"Maki… Umi here…" she said.

"Woohoo! We did it! See how epic my magical bombs are?" Niko said through the phone call.

"I'm the one who threw them-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"No… keep your heads up; this might not be over…." Umi said.

"Heh—who can survive that kind of explosion…?" Maki said.

"Mages are not that simple…." Kotori said in a serious tone.

"Uh…right… you're right…this is magic we're talking about…." Maki replied.

Umi —who looked rather amazed as she saw how serious the mage next to her looks like staring at her in awe.

"Kotori….." she called her softly.

"Yes, Umi-chan?" Kotori replied as she turned her sight to the soldier with her innocent looking eyes.

"Ah—it's nothing… I was just….thinking…that you look really cool when you're serious…"

"Uhhaa! U-Um-Umi-chan! This is not a good time for that kind of thing!" Kotori said as her face began to deeply redden in embarrassment.

"W-what? I was just saying!" Umi said.

"Uhhh….! Focus! Umi-chan!"

"Hey-hey…now—…" then just right before Maki finished her call—a vulgar light flashed right towards the Anemone Heart,

"Umi-chan!" Kotori hastily casted a powerful barrier on both of them, yet it wasn't enough to protect the ship. As it was sliced into two, exploding into tiny scraps of metal, while Umi and Kotori fell down inside their barrier. Umi went slightly panicked, though Kotori seems to be calm as she focused herself on trying to summon.

The blue haired warrior turned her eyes to the other ship, Beat in Angel, hoping that it wouldn't face the same fate. But the hope slowly began to crumble when she saw the very same light head towards them while Nozomi also tried to catch up. Just before she knew it, Kotori summoned a giant bird that sparked electricity out of its wings. It didn't take long until the two fell right on top of it. Umi remained quiet as she watched things around her. She has never imagined herself to be flying on top of a giant bird.

"Umi-chan, hold on tight, ok? I'm going to surge faster…" Kotori said.

"O…Ok…." Umi said as she held onto the bird tightly.

Just as it was expected, the light destroyed the Beat in Angel within seconds, and then three balls of barrier could be seen falling down from the explosion. It was lucky that Nozomi managed to put it up in time, or else they wouldn't know what will happen to them.

"I started to doubt that she is a human…." Umi stated.

"You mean, Eli-chan's mother?" Kotori asked,

"Yes… I mean, I swear, I saw her getting stabbed, then exploded, and then she just simply came back again?"

"I thought you knew… but, Eli-chan's mother…. we all could feel that she is not using an ordinary vessel… it might be the same vessel as the Valkyries, except it's a thousand times stronger than them."

"Thing is… how could she survive all that? Just how much life does she have?"

"She didn't get her name for nothing. Gullveig is immortal and she will always return over and over… I don't know how many times she died, but I think she has no fear of such—while killing her is already hard enough…"

"Then how can we defeat an immortal? Aren't we doing things senselessly right now?"

"I…I don't know…. but we started this, so we have to keep on going… even though it might take everyone's life…" Kotori said, rather morosely.

"Kotori…"

"S-Sorry…but…. I…I just don't think we can win at this rate…. But…I'm trying hard to believe that somehow we can …." Kotori said again.

Umi shook her head,

"That's fine, let's just do our best…." She said.

"Umi-chan…."

As they got closer to the wreck, they managed to catch the three castaways who plummeted through the sky in an amazing speed. Taking the opportunity the trio grabbed onto the bird just in time.

"Wh-whoaaaa….That was really scary-nya!" Rin said.

"Hah—I thought we were done for…." Maki said,

"That damned woman! She could've warned us!" Niko said.

"Now-now, let's just carry on. We're going support as much as we can…." Umi said,

Then just right after she said it, Gullveig flew into them—she smiled pompously as she brought up her sword, aiming to slash them. Which to that Kotori quickly set up another barrier, but Gullveig was fast, she changed her actions by rising up her sword for a vertical slice aimed towards Kotori. Knowing that it might not be a good idea to try to parry it, after seeing how capable the light sword was as it sliced her ship, Umi quickly made a move—she pulled Kotori over to dodge the edges of the sword. And just like what Umi expected, the barrier broke along with the bird's head getting chopped off.

The bird disappeared— which also meant that the five of them were once again in the bare sky, falling at an incredible speed.

Nozomi tried to rush down with her wyvern—yet just as she tried to do so, Gullveig casted a powerful wind to blow her back up.

The dark mage quickly jumped down as she dissolved into the dark fogs along with her wyvern—attempting to save her friends. Yet as she tried to do so, she sensed the air somewhat feel a lot more freezing than it originally was. Her wyvern which flew faster than her, slowly turned into ice as it got lower. Realizing that it probably was a bad idea to do so, Nozomi quickly summoned another wyvern and stopped herself from descending lower.

Something was definitely wrong …. It was like the air started to freeze everything around her. She quickly casted a fire magic to counter—but the icy air rose constantly, and slowly created a giant vortex which made Nozomi a lot more worried about her friends below.

Did they freeze in the cold air?

Will they be able to survive?

Such questions were running through the purplenette's mind. She can only hope and believe that they will be fine.

Then as she was able to see the figure of her enemy once more, Nozomi noticed the older woman completely unscathed and doesn't even seem to be hurt, not even where she believed she saw her get wounded, not too long ago. Not her head, not even on her chest.

"Just…what kind of person is she? Why does she seem so impossible to defeat?" Nozomi muttered under her breath.

"Are you going to give up…Toujou?" Gullveig chuckled contemptuously,

"Why would I….? Even if it takes my whole life to fight you, I'll do it…" Nozomi replied,

"Well…it certainly will take your life…since I doubt you'll be able to survive against me… I always told you, right? As long as the light exists, I'll never be defeated… and I mean it literally, unlike you who is still bound to the earth's rule…"

Nozomi frowned,

"You're not even human, right? What are you?"

"Hmm…how do I describe myself….I might be the same kind as the Valkyries, though I am not bound to their rule, I created my own vessel and moved my own soul into it… so perhaps you can just say, I am a Valkyrie in God mode?"

"You're joking…." Nozomi glared,

"Why? The Valkyrie's sword power is made up of the light element, so why can't I use my own element to convert myself? You should be thanking to me for not sharing my knowledge with anyone else… and perhaps also because I slaughtered the whole clan of light and dark mages. I've spent many years looking for them …and also to terrorize the dark mages. You know it's a lot easier if everyone had an excuse to kill them…"

"Why would you want to clean the entire clan…."

"Because…dark mages remind me of your mother… and I don't like them…."

"That's so stupid; you're trying to clean up the entire clan just because they remind you of her? I'm sure you will always use that excuse everywhere….and soon enough, you'll use it for an excuse to clean up this entire earth…until there will be nothing left…."

"But I planned to be a good woman once I managed to slaughter you, sweet heart… you and my daughter….and maybe your friends too since they kind of remind me of you two…which also leads to my memory about your mother…."

"Will you just stop that? It's not funny at all…. They have nothing to do with this…" Nozomi frowned deeper.

"Oh—they have…. but anyhow… now that we are all here in this cold weather… why don't we warm up a bit?" Gullveig lit up both of her fists with fire as she held her sword in hand,

Then suddenly, the vortex turned into a bright ice cloud, reflecting the light as it absorbed the dark clouds, lighting up the whole environment, and leaving no darkness behind. Nozomi started to panic as she knew she will no longer be able to cast any powerful magic without a proper amount of darkness, even her glove won't be a big help since her enemy clearly holds the same weapon.

Nozomi sighed softly as she predicted her own fate—but was against giving into her own thoughts. She swiftly took out her gun—the gun that was given to her by her lover. Gullveig noted it and quickly froze it, using the power of the wind to shove the gun off her hand—hurting Nozomi's hand in the process, causing her to bleed slightly.

Then an idea came across the dark mage's mind as she saw her blood flowing out of her hand.

Gullveig, who noticed Nozomi's face light up in epiphany, realized that it might be an advantage for her. So she quickly healed her enemy's wounded hand and casted a paralyzing blow with the magic wind. The dark mage didn't fight back; instead she let herself fall down to the cold air.

The older blonde quickly blew her back up again—she started to worry about something, even though she had no clue about what it was that worried her. But she knew that Nozomi knew well how to use blood or her own body for something.

The light mage dashed up to the sky—with her light sword still in hand. This time—she resolved to kill her foe instantly with a fatal blow, or else she might be in trouble for whatever the dark mage has in store for her…or so she thought.

As the two got closer to each other—Gullveig quickly swung her sword, yet have never expected Nozomi to blow her away with a gust of wind, which caused her sword to miss and have the tip of the sword graze against Nozomi's hand, triggering a small wound.

As blood trickled out from the wound, Nozomi quickly attempted to make use of it, yet Gullveig—once again casted a healing wind magic towards her as she recoiled.

Nozomi was surprised at how fast her enemy was—and this time she started to worry about herself. Her wyvern caught her again.

Gullveig flew back up again as they faced each other in a distance,

"You're trying to use blood for your source of magic power, huh? I know dark magic and necromancy are related with each other….and such practice happened when they were desperate…" Gullveig said.

"Necromancy can be learned by anyone… it doesn't have to be us, dark mages…" Nozomi replied.

"But you have more advantage towards it…" Gullveig said.

"Does it matter to you? You'll never die…" Nozomi said.

"I wouldn't, but I can see it in your eyes, if you use it—you'll be conjuring up the Marionette spell on me…"

"Your daughter broke through that magic on her own, you know…" Nozomi said.

"Of course… she is a pure light mage after all… its just that she and her father were never taught how to use their powers… and neither was Alisa…"

"My point is… you might be able to break through that too, right?" Nozomi smiled mischievously at her.

Gullveig frowned,

"You're mocking me…"

"Ohh…wait…. Now I understand…. You said… you are a 'Valkyrie-like' with 'God'-mode…. so..that vessel of yours… is nothing more than a materialized body…. Hmmm..that means, if I apply the marionette on you…. it won't be easy for you to break it?"

"…hah...and I know what's next in your list…" Gullveig said.

Nozomi chuckled,

"Well, nothing wrong with sleeping eternally… it might be the only way to stop you!" Nozomi once again charged in on her wyvern.

Gullveig—knowing that it would be too risky to use her sword, stowed away her weapon,

"I suppose you just told me to burn you, instead of slicing you up…"

"Bring it on…" Nozomi smiled mischievously.

Then Gullveig started to cast a fire ball—followed by a beam of light which was dodged completely. Nozomi watched closely as frantic lights started to rain down around her—from the clouds to the mad mage that continued attacking her.

Her wyvern started to get wounded as the rain of light and fire eventually got harder to dodge. Nozomi quickly summoned Griffin before the wyvern once again disappeared as it too much damage was inflected upon its body.

The flight lasted a while for Nozomi; she rounded the sky as she tried to get closer to Gullveig who seemed to be trying hard to prevent herself from getting any closer to the dark mage. As the rain of fire raged the sky in fury, Nozomi attempted to put up a barrier—yet the lack of power source troubled her, not being able to put it up longer than a minute.

Noticing the troubled face of hers and the behavior of her barrier, Gullveig snickered in amusement before charging her magic on her left hand while the right hand kept control of the down pouring fire.

She waited for Nozomi to put up a barrier and just right after the younger mage blocked a few shots fired at her—Gullveig casted her powerful beam of light from her left hand.

This time…

Nozomi realized that she wouldn't be able to dodge the incoming attack—with the freezing weather that slowed down her Gryffin, and not being able to transform into anything without the right amount of power source…

She believed…

That it would be the end of her….

But at least…

She also believed that she has replaced someone's place…

Someone special to her…

Or perhaps…

It's not the same with what she thought to be…

Suddenly, a rugged figure appeared before the young mage. Her big wings illuminated the portion of the sky with its brightness; her familiar blonde hair blew dramatically in the fighting wind, and the metallic right arm remained indifferent, while the same white shirt looked tattered along with her black trousers and boots, like she had fought her way to cast a powerful barrier and protect the one in distress.

"Ericchi…." Nozomi called her name softly.

She quite didn't know what or how to feel about the whole situation…

The fact that she came right in to protect her made her feel happy…

But…

The other fact that she might have become what she didn't want her to be…left her with conflicting emotions.

Gullveig widened her eyes as she looked into her daughter, but shook her head to snap out of the shot trance and once again casted her rain of flames towards her without any hesitation.

Eli sighed weakly before she dashed forward with the barrier in front of her, charging in closer to the older blonde.

Gullveig swiftly pulled out her light sword while Eli's, The End of Ordinary Sorrow, already in hand. They came close as both of the weapons were swung in the air.

But their weapon never met…. At least not with each other…

The light sword hit the metallic arm—which was able to endure the force of the attack while The End of Sorrow—flipped down, causing the dull side of the weapon to hit the older blonde's shoulder —breaking it and paralyzing that part of her body.

As she fell down, the cold air disappeared and the sky once again turned back into its gloomy self. Eli quickly dived down to follow.

Gullveig tried to heal herself, yet the pain in her shoulder made her unable to do so—she tried to stabilize her wings—though before she managed to do so, she saw her daughter flying above her, trying to catch up with her.

She tried her best to fight off, yet the paralyzing sensation made it impossible to aim properly or cast a proper magic, while her daughter kept flying down towards her.

As she realized that she was close to hitting the earth's surface, she smiled faintly,

"You just want to watch me fall…don't you?" she mumbled.

Gullveig closed her eyes,

"Well… I won't be dead anyway…." She smiled impishly,

Before she actually hit the earth, Eli sunk down faster…

Gullveig never expected that the intention of her daughter was not to harm her, but instead, Eli caught her in her arms.

Then she slowly landed down on the huge empty field, surrounded by the lush forest.

"Eli….Are you an idiot…?" Gullveig asked as she observed her daughter.

"I think I am…" Eli replied gently.

Gullveig smiled gently at her,

"Then…now…I'm sure… that you're really my daughter…." She said.

"I'm glad…." Eli replied again before she let her mother step down from her embrace.

"Now… come to think of it…. my daughter…. Do you think… by saving me from what you've done to me… makes me somehow want to stop doing what I was doing?" her mother asked,

"I'm very sure that it wasn't my intention… All I want is to see you back into who you were when you took care of me…."

"Elichika…my stupid daughter…. I told you…. I've never been a kind woman; it was just me pretending…"

"I don't believe that, not even for a second…"

"Really….? Then…what about…." Gullveig fixed her shoulder, and then she smiled mischievously before she suddenly blasted a beam of light—shoving her daughter far away from her.

"You idiot! Why did you even start to act like your father?!" Gullveig yelled,

Eli got up from the ground slowly,

"You…and your father… always acted so gentle towards me… it made me sick!"

"My reason is simply because I think mama needs to know that there is still a lot more people who are willing to be loved by you…and are also willing to love you without even needing you to love us back…."

"Bullshit! I don't believe you!" Gullveig once again casted powerful flames towards her daughter—yet once again, Eli set up a powerful barrier to block it.

"Why are you so insisting? Why do you even try to convince me?" her mother yelled angrily as she kept casting fire attacks towards Eli, the barrier remained unbroken as Eli stood strongly.

"I told you…. All of you! That I don't need love to begin with! I don't need you to love me! I don't need them at all!" Gullveig kept unleashing her attacks towards her daughter.

The earth started to quiver as the ground under the younger blonde lifted up, only to have Eli jump to the side to escape it.

"You can't lie forever, mother…" Eli said before her mother dashed towards her with a sword of light lifted up to the sky.

"I did not lie!" Gullveig shouted,

Eli quickly turned into lights, disappearing, only to reform behind her mother.

"Fine… then should I say… deny? You should stop denying… mama…" Eli said.

"You just tried to be funny, huh!? You're not!" Gullveig spun around as she tried to slice her—Yet Eli floated up to the air with her wings to dodge it.

Right after the former occurrence, Gullveig made another attempt to attack quickly—but to no avail, Eli managed to dodge it again, even after it followed up with more slashes, Eli still able to escape from her quickly, flew up higher into the sky.

"Hey, mother…why don't we play a little game? I don't have that much time… but… I'm very sure that you will want to play it since it involves violence…"

"What do you mean you want to play a game? You know you're in danger right now, right? I will really kill you if I could!" Her mother said.

"Eh—what's the different with who I am right now…"

"Why did you even do that?! Why can't you just be quiet and watch that Toujou bitch's daughter die or something?!"

"I don't want to stay quiet and watch. I really love Nozomi… and I want to make you understand that I don't want two of my beloved ones harming each other."

"Hah! You should've just said that you like her more than me. I know who you are!"

"Hmm…how do I put it, mama, my love for her and my love to you are different. I can't possibly compare it with each other…" Eli replied as she continued dodging her mother's attacks.

"You…You sacrificed yourself to be a Valkyrie to protect her, right? Then let me tell you something…you will regret it! Like really regret it! It's useless of you to try and protect someone like Toujou. She will betray you…and she will hate you forever…"

"I can totally see that, who wants to be married to a dead person?" Eli said.

Her mother paused as she heard it,

"….Mama…. do you remember? These wings… couldn't possibly grow out of me if I didn't do something about myself?"

"I'm aware of that…." Gullveig replied.

The two calmed down as they quietly stared into each other.

"Say…. though… you're aware that you'll have to lose her to someone else later…and yet… you turned yourself into a Valkyrie… a soul who knows no limit of life time. Doesn't that just make feel tormented later?"

"What's the difference? If I didn't do this… I'll lose her to you….and you'll never be able to see how true my love is… but if I do this…I will just lose her to someone else… she might be happier that way… and… you might also see how true is my love to her…."

"This talk about love makes me sick… you know…"

"I know, that's why I'm bringing it up to you… You're the one who needs to feel it and be drowned in it once more…."

"We're at this again… I told you…I don't need it…."

"For no matter how many times you deny it, mama, I will always believe that you need it….and you want to do so as well…"

"How can you be so sure about it?"

"Because… I noticed this from you…. you told me…that you don't want to see me dying slowly because of the betrayal that might happen if I fall in love with Nozomi…. which also clears up the reason why you left me back then…."

"I left Terra because I got sick of that idiot Lenora… it has nothing to do with you… and I truly dislike your existence, so I want to kill you…"

"Really? If it really has nothing to do with me, then why didn't you sell out the residence? You purposely left it so that I can live in it, right?"

Gullveig remained quiet to the declaration,

"You knew I'll be able to survive… and what you were trying to teach me is that I shouldn't hope for too much…and I should be a lot more independent. You don't want me to feel the same pain as you...is that right?"

"You're being too over confident…just like your father…"

"I believe I wasn't wrong. I have another proof … It's this…." Eli pulls out The End of Ordinary Sorrow…

"I just heard from Valkyrie Leyna… she said, you were the one who made this… and also dragged Eir to be involved in the whole deal, so that I never know I got it from you…"

"I wanted to turn you into a killing machine… that's the reason… You're thinking to positively about me…"

"Well—alright, I'll buy that, but then, why did you also sign me up as a vanguard? You should've known that what a vanguard does is to protect teammates— killing is for the Assassins, right?"

"Because as a vanguard, you'll die earlier… besides, how do you even know that I was the one who assigned you there… did someone tell you?"

"Valkyrie Leyna told me…. But Ah—it was really troublesome. I can't possibly tell people that I got assigned in a wrong division…"

"Who the hell is this Valkyrie Leyna anyway, I just know her, but why does she know that much detail about you and I…."

"Well, she also told me that you've been watching over me through someone else too… Alisa confirmed it as she found the letters that were sent to you…"

"Those are just to keep my image as a mother…. stupid…"

"Sure-sure…I don't believe that… but oh…. one more thing…. Back then… you wanted me to be a dancer… and you taught me about how to dance… I still remember the way you do it… mama… you were holding me so gently…and carefully made me move beautifully like you…."

"What's wrong with living my dream? I really like dancing…"

"….and you taught me to do what you like…. isn't that enough to prove that you still have love in you?"

Gullveig remained inaudible for a moment. Then she shook her head,

"No…." she said.

"Then perhaps you should just tell her that she is a coward…Ericchi…" suddenly a familiar voice was heard from a distance. The two blonde turned to where the voice came from…

A Valkyrie Ship and a giant owl landed nearby along with a small griffin with Nozomi sitting on top of it. The giant owl appears to be Hanayo's summon who was beckoned to save Umi, Maki, Rin, Niko, and Kotori. And then Hanayo herself stepped down from the Valkyrie ship along with Valkyrie Leyna and Valkyrie Minami.

Gullveig turned her gaze towards them,

"Hah—looks like all of you are here to kill me…huh?"

"It doesn't just look like it… We really will—again and again…" Nozomi replied coldly.

"No one is going to kill her…. Not before me…" Eli said as she turned around to her friends. Gullveig and everyone else looked really surprised by what they just heard, thinking that maybe they just heard her wrong.

"W-w-what?! W-what is this-nya?! M-M-Mind control?" Rin said still looking very shocked.

"No one is being mind-controlled, it's really me…." Eli said.

"T-Then, why are you protecting her? You can't be seriously protecting the enemy, Eli!" Maki said.

"She is my mother—I have the right to protect her…." Eli said.

Umi seemed to be slightly bothered,

"Eli, are you really doing this to us? I mean… she is… a danger to us all…" Umi said.

"Then I will protect you too…" Eli said.

"What are you? An Idiot? You can't protect both opposing sides! There's black and white in this world. You need to choose one of them." Niko added in.

"And there always will be black and white sides in someone… It's only a matter of what I choose to look at, right?" Eli replied.

"You're kidding me…Ericchi…. I thought we are all working hard to stop her… we all need to kill her…. why are you suddenly turning on us—but more importantly, why are you choosing to be a Valkyrie just so you can do this? Do you really prefer her more than me…?"

"First of all, Nozomi… I have to say once again, you and I share a different kind of Love than the love between my mother and I; I can't compare them. But to be fair, without her, you will never have seen me as who I am… I am born from her womb and raised by her—even though there's a little more complexity in the case. Either way, I don't want any of you to shed more blood from each other…. I will protect both sides…" Eli said.

"What if I just kill you? It doesn't matter anymore, right? You'll be gone… and she will return to her killing spree….and I'll get nothing for myself…." Nozomi said.

"N-Nozomi-chan! What are you talking about?!" Kotori yelled at her,

"Yes— Nozomi, if you do that, I'll have to shut you down…." Umi said as she turned to Nozomi.

"I…I kind of already reminded her about this…." Hanayo whispered softly.

"Doesn't she have a proper point? I mean… sure, I can't imagine myself to kill Eli just because I want to kill her mother… but, seriously…. Eli… are you still sane? You're basically protecting someone who has been harming you—and to know about your past…she doesn't seem to be a person who has done enough to be a mother…" Maki said.

"Maki-chan… what are you saying, giving birth to her is enough to be called as a mother…." Valkyrie Minami pointed out.

"Heh, but, a mother….shouldn't she be doing stuff that makes her one?"

"You don't know how it is exactly; if Eli wants to protect her because of her own will… then she probably has done something that makes her do so…" Umi said.

"Or…we can just take Vivian as an example of Eli's choice…" Maki said sarcastically.

"Ah… I forgot to tell you… That Vivian girl… even though Eir is the one who murdered her…. Gullveig is the one who told Eir to do so…." Valkyrie Leyna said.

"H-Huh? How do you even know?" Maki asked,

Gullveig frowned slightly,

"Who the hell are you… how do you even know I did that?"

"It's all written on your face…." Valkyrie Leyna giggled at Gullveig.,

"…you did it because you knew your daughter made the poorest choice in history…. And that Vivian has done enough to get on your nerves…" she continued.

"T..that means… Gullveig-san… actually cares about Eli-chan….? But…why does she want to kill her and Nozomi-chan?" Hanayo asked.

"Why don't you ask her?" Valkyrie Leyna said, and then everyone turned to look at the person mentioned…

"No reason, I just want to kill them…and that's about it…"

"Mama, just tell the truth, will you?" Eli said.

"You're overconfident, Elichika… I don't even care about you…"

"Why are you so stubborn?" Eli said to her mother.

"Well, why are you so stubborn to believe me? I told you—I am no one to love! I don't even deserve it!"

"Mama!"

And the two started to argue with each other,

As it happened, the rest of them started to question themselves. Nozomi who looked the most un-amused clenched her fist—she doesn't seem to be willing to just let things happen this way. She didn't even want to be friendly towards the person who killed her mother and caused her lover to pick a way that she didn't want her to pick.

Valkyrie Leyna noticed the look in the girl's face, she smiled faintly as she intentionally took out her spear, placed it next to her and stuck it to the ground—giving an opening to anyone who wanted to snatch it. Nozomi turned her prospects to the spear—noticing that it was a great opportunity to make a decision without anyone else.

She dissolved herself into a swarm of crows, dashing through the land to grab the spear, everyone was really surprised—they swear their heart almost jumped out of their chests as they saw how Nozomi rushed in so quickly and lift up the spear—about to thrust it into the woman who she calls to be a sworn enemy,

Eli quickly blocked her way—protecting her own mother, though Nozomi remained hard-hearted. She convinced herself that she wouldn't mind…if she had to lose both of them.

Or at least… That's what her anger told her.

But just right before she managed to thrust her spear, dark chains appeared from the spear, connecting the spear with Valkyrie Leyna who reeled her all the way back, throwing her far away from the two blondes. The spear suddenly disappeared into dark fogs as it fell onto the ground.

"N-Nozomi-chan!" Kotori and Hanayo quickly ran to her. Nozomi carefully got up from the ground.

Eli and Gullveig turned their sight towards Valkyrie Leyna, who seemed to be calm and collected—though her face also showed that she was somewhat disappointed.

"Gullveig… can you see now?" Valkyrie Leyna said.

Gullveig remained silent, wondering what she exactly meant…

"Truth is… you're not any worse than a person who made a line of mistakes—calling it as justice, and then failed miserably at making choices just because she has never tried to think of what it may cause. You've successfully raised your daughter to be someone who is willing to protect everyone at all costs—even at one points she is just as stupid as you. While the person that you may call as the betrayer…. Have failed to raise her only child… turning her into a cold blooded murderer who prefers to take revenge than to forgive…" Valkyrie Leyna continued.

"Who the hell are you….." Gullveig said.

"Didn't you say you knew? I'm only a Valkyrie with two personalities…"

"I don't think it is as simple as that…" Gullveig tried to evaluate.

"Put that aside…. You can get to know me later… but now…what will you do next? You've heard everyone's thoughts… all they want is that you to stop all the madness… your Lover, her husband, your own husband… and now your first daughter…. How much more life will it take to tell you the same thing over and over?"

Gullveig stayed quiet for a moment,

Then she looked into her daughter—her bright wings and her body.

"I don't even expect her to do this much…." She said before she turned her gaze away from her daughter.

"…and you won't believe her if she didn't do that much….right?" Valkyrie Leyna said.

Gullveig stayed silent.

"…face it, Gullveig, you were stubborn… she is trying to give you the idea…now it's all too late for you to realize that she is truly telling the truth from the depth of her very soul…"

The older blonde only sighed heavily before she disappeared into the lights and left them.

Everyone seems to be quiet as they started to wonder….

"Are we…. actually done?" Umi asked.

"This….this all feels really anti-climatic…." Maki said.

"Y…yeah…I was expecting some kind of…. Hmm…. more epic fights?" Niko said.

"N-Now-now! I think we should just head home right now…" Kotori said.

"Y-yes… it's getting late…and it's not good to stay in the rain like this….we all might catch a bad cold…" Hanayo said.

"I'm hungry too-nya!" Rin said.

"Alright. Then let's go back to the village…. everyone…" Valkyrie Leyna said. Everyone started to walk to return to the ship— while Nozomi, still stared at Eli, giving out a hint of anger in her face. In return the blonde only tilts her head slightly as a gentle smile forms on her lips.

Nozomi averted her eyes and turned around coldly before she started to leave with the others. Eli sighed weakly before she walked to join them.

* * *

The City—Ayase's residence, Night time;

A part of the house was burnt down, but they still had one portion of the place that still stood sturdy, providing enough bedrooms for everyone in the gang.

Alisa, Honoka, Tsubasa, Erena and Anjuu have prepared a decent amount of food for them to eat. Everyone seemed to enjoy their food, except for Valkyrie Leyna who didn't even get any food and Nozomi who didn't seem to be in the right mood to eat. Eli—or perhaps, Valkyrie Eli doesn't seem to be present in the room, though everyone could see her from the window. She was currently re-planting the garden with plants on the cart next to her, thanks to Hanayo who provided it.

"Hmm…I wonder if Eli-chan actually wants to do that for the last few hours… I mean…I think, most people would want to do something like…flying around the sky and enjoying the nature…?" Kotori said.

"Gardening is something fun too, at times…Kotori-chan! I'm planning to work on my farm again tomorrow!" Hanayo said.

"Actually…it isn't the gardening that's making her enjoy her last few hours… It's the responsibility…" Alisa said.

"Ah…."

"Onee-san…. She and mother are so similar to each other at some points. They always know their responsibilities… and they love to do it…" Alisa continued again.

"You don't hate your mother?" Umi asked.

"Hate…? Hmm…honestly…. I can't say I do, but I can't say I don't… It's just hard for me to hate her completely….what she did to my father….well….I…I honestly don't know what to feel….I believe Onee-san will think the same way…."

"She is protecting your mother…." Maki said.

"I believe that is something expected of her… because that is something my father would do as well… Even though my mother has always been abusing him, he remains to be gentle and loving to her…"

"Huh? He has been abused?"

"Errhh… well… it's hard to say. But it's just that my mother is a little terrible at lying. She acted weird from time to time, but we all knew that she just has her own way to express love…" Alisa said.

"Oh….that kind of thing…huh? I guess I can start to relate…." Maki said.

"I hope he found a good place to rest…." Alisa said a little sadly.

"He certainly will… Alisa-chan… a good person like him certainly will…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Well I can always look for his soul later and offer him to be my einhenjar. If you're lucky, then I might be able to return him before your limit comes…" Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Haha—that's sounds fun, Valkyrie Leyna! Thank you!" Alisa said cheerfully.

"Say…." Nozomi said—her voice filled with melancholy.

"Can you do that…. quickly? Like in just a few days or so….?" She continued.

Valkyrie Leyna shook her head,

"It takes a lot of years to do so—might even need about a hundred years…."

"Then—if that's the case, will you just take my life too and let me be the same like her?" Nozomi asked,

Valkyrie Leyna shook her head again,

"Even if that way is possible, I'm not going to do that to you until you fix that attitude of yours…"

"What the hell are you saying now…?"

"Someone is only allowed to turn into a Valkyrie when their desire is to protect…. Your desire…is clearly not to protect—and no, you can't pretend. Besides… you're a dark mage… you know your kind is the one with the lowest chance of successfully turning into one? You might as well merge into someone's soul instead ….and I wouldn't know who you're merging with…"

Nozomi felt very bothered by the explanation.

"If you truly just want to be with her though…. why don't you talk to her and discuss it? She might be willing to take you as her einhenjar or something…." Valkyrie Leyna said.

"T-there…Nozomi-chan…. I…I really don't like the idea of dying here…I mean… we've lost enough people…we don't want to lose you too…" Hanayo said.

"Yes…. What's with this suicide obsession on everyone lately, huh? There's a life to enjoy…." Maki said.

"Nozomi-san… you need to calm down and think again, are you really just going to do that to be with her?" Tsubasa said.

"Yeah, calm yourself, life is not given to you so that you can just throw it away… you have to appreciate it…" Niko said.

"Why are you all complaining? None of you complained when Ericchi did that…" Nozomi said a little coldly,

"That's a whole different case…" Umi started.

"I never said that I agreed with that idea either, she kind of did it without our permission…" Maki added.

"I understand her because that would be what I would do as well if I desperately wanted to protect someone special to me…." Umi said.

"Umi…. Stop being stupid…." Maki said.

"I'm not stupid! It's what a true warrior does!" Umi said.

"Whatever, I think it's stupid to throw away a life that is given, for whatever reason. If possible, I would always try to look for another way…." Maki said.

"You'll never understand because you've never fallen in love…." Umi said.

"Hey—but didn't you also say a warrior doesn't fall in love?"

"W-wh-well! I ..I mean… you'll never understand because you'll never know how it is like for a warrior!"

"Sure-sure...whatever….I don't like the way you're dealing with this case. To die for others is the dumbest idea ever to exist, no one lives for anyone—they live for themselves…." Maki smirked as she averted her eyes.

"I don't like the way you think that it is that simple for a warrior.…" Umi said with a frown on her face.

"N-Now….now…everyone… let's not argue on such things… I mean… let us just let Nozomi-chan decide about what to think or what to feel…." Kotori interrupted to cut the duo's argument short.

"If I can suggest…." Valkyrie Leyna said, and instantly everyone turned their vision towards the speaker,

"Nozomi… you really need to go now and talk with her, listening to us will do nothing…. And make sure you speak to her wisely… once her time limit comes…she will be returned to the real Valhalla…and there might be no way of you to reach her again…" she continued.

Nozomi sighed weakly before she quickly strolled away from the room. Her food still remained untouched on the table. Niko, Rin, Hanayo, and Honoka immediately laid their eyes on the plate.

Valkyrie Minami seemed to be slightly worried,

"Will she really make the wise decision, I wonder….?" She asked to Valkyrie Leyna.

"No one knows their relationship better than themselves…" Valkyrie Leyna replied.

"You think so?" Valkyrie Minami asked.

"Yup…I think so…." Valkyrie Leyna replied as she turned her eyes to Rin, Honoka, Niko, and Hanayo who has been trying to get the food that Nozomi left.

Though suddenly, someone came up and picked up the plate. Then sat down and started to eat it.

"Are you seriously going to leave that stupid love bird to make a decision? They always act for each other…and you know her state of mind, she might as well forget the option that given to her a while back…." the person said.

Everyone was all noiseless until they realized….

"W-wh-w-wait-wait! G-g-Gullveig?!" Everyone said in their surprise.

"Wh-what are you doing here?!" Niko said as she pointed to her,

"Why are you all so surprised …This is my home…shouldn't I be the one to complain about your existence?" Gullveig said.

"W-wait! There! This feels…so…. Dream-like to me… I mean...just a while back…we fought each other…. We tried to kill each other… then...suddenly… we are having dinner together?!" Maki said.

"I don't mind …." Gullveig shrugged as she calmly ate her dinner.

"No-no! That's not about whether you mind or not! It just doesn't feel so logical to me!" Maki yelled,

"Do you really need logic?" Gullveig asked again,

"Hmmm…logically, we're eating in her home right now…so…if we put logic into it, we're the intruders… she is the owner…." Umi said.

"U-Umi!"

"I'm just saying the truth…." Umi replied...

"Uh…sh-she is right…." Kotori said.

"B-But…I allowed them to come in! So…Logically, you're all fine!" Alisa said.

"Y-yeah..what Alisa-chan said!" Honoka added.

"Also. Logically, when there's a police here and criminal right there… shouldn't the police be warning her about her arrest?" Erena said as she stood up and took out her police badge to show,

"Well…logically, police needs to have evidence and report before doing an arrest…" Tsubasa said.

"Tsubasa! She is obviously a criminal! She killed Eir with her own hands! Then also a few other planned murders—you're not planning to just let her go, right?"

"Well…I'm not, but this is…Gullveig we're talking about… the most powerful witch we will ever know…. do you think it will be that easy to arrest her?" Tsubasa said.

"Instead of talking about something useless… why don't you all hurry up and answer me… are you all really going to leave the decision to a pair of idiot couple?" Gullveig said.

"Th-this is not useless! You're clearly under arrest, woman!" Erena said angrily.

"Shush, Erena, loosen up a bit…. Tch….. This is why I'm the leader…and you're my worker…" Tsubasa said.

"Respect the elder, Erena…" Anjuu said.

"W-why are you all so relaxed about this?!" Erena yelled,

Umi and Maki seems to be looking at each other for a moment, then turned to Gullveig,

"What do you mean that we're not supposed to leave the decision to them? What else we can do?" Umi asked.

"Yeah, I have to say…I'm a bit lost here. We don't know what to feel right now… not to talk about how we still think that you're a villain…we can't just believe your words…" Maki said.

"I think I know what you're talking about…Gullveig…" Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Of course you do…." Gullveig replied a little coldly as she blushed slightly.

* * *

Ayase's residence garden, Night time;

Eli carefully tended the garden by planting the flowers one by one. The Purplenette approached her. She watched her lover nurturing the garden quietly.

Then just as their eyes met each other, they started to work in silence, carefully tending the garden together. From the very corner of the residence until the other end, they planted it neatly. Then as they finished with the first area, they moved to the nearby garden inside a glass building to work on it.

For the past few hours, they didn't make any conversation. Nozomi felt really uptight until she decided to start a conversation by calling her name,

"Ericchi…."

"What is it….Nozomi….?" Eli replied gently.

The silence lasted for a while again as Eli still carefully nurtured the garden.

"I've decided….." the purplenette said,

"….that I want to hate you…." she continued.

"Ah…" Eli replied with a faint smile on her lips.

"I'm glad…." the blonde continued.

Nozomi smirked bitterly,

"I don't want to live for you… nor give you any more space in my life…. You just existed to ruin me…." the dark mage said with a slight frown on her face.

"Sorry… for being such a burden….." the blonde replied to her.

"I'm not going to forgive you…." Nozomi said quickly,

"Is that so? Don't you think it's better if you start to forget me instead?"

"Not for your case…you've messed up everything that I've done….you made the deepest wound I have ever felt…. And all the promises that we made… you completely abandon them all…." Nozomi started to cry. Eli, who heard her voice break, stopped— she put down everything and stood up as she turned her eyes towards the crying girl.

"I really hate you…. you know that….just hurry up and be gone… let me live in peace… let me move on with my life… I don't want you to be here again…" Nozomi said as tears dripped down from her eyes, her face all red.

Eli remained silent as she watched her lover cry desperately… though instead of doing what she was told to, Eli approached her, and then hugged her gently.

"Nozomi…" she called her softly.

"Are you an idiot? I told you—…" she pulled her fist.

"—to just be gone!" She used all of her power to hit her lover's chest with the side of her fists, it caused her to spring out particles of light— a lot of them.

The two were quiet as they stared at their surroundings, with the particles of light floating away like fairies—and the night that allow them to see how it glowed beautifully among the flowers that were freshly planted.

The two wondered what may have caused such thing to happen— though as Nozomi realized. Her lover's body slowly started to dissolve into those lights…, leaving only a transparent soul. She began to panic,

"Ericchi… you are….." she gaped at the latter,

"….fulfilling your last wish to me…" Eli smiled faintly as she replied.

"No! You idiot! You're not going anywhere! Not before I'm done with you!" Nozomi once gain tried to grab her—though it just made her dissolve faster. Even the metal arm also started to dissolve into little balls of light, slowly replacing it with the transparent yet beautiful arm,

"Ericchi! No! Stop!" Nozomi shouted at her,

"I'm sorry… but I don't have any control over this…."

"It was my fault, isn't it? Because I hit you…right?" Nozomi said in her panic.

"No…I doubt so…. I was already told about it….I didn't have time more than a day...and I decided to spend my time to do my long wished responsibility…."

"Planting flowers…. You wished to plant flowers in your last life time? How stupid are you?"

"As stupid as you think I am…." Eli replied.

"Don't try to be funny, you idiot. You're not funny at all…!" Nozomi cried again. Eli just watched her lover cry in her desperation, she swears that she has never seen her lover be this frantic.

"Ericchi…. look…I'm sorry, ok? I…I didn't hate you…."

Eli didn't respond to her—she can only smile faintly.

"Please….I'm sorry….. Stop doing this to me…. I don't want you to go….please…. I promise, I will change…I will really change…. I will be a good person for you…for everyone…"

* * *

**The turquoise eyed mage cried again—yet the blonde kept dissolving; she was only left with a few parts of her body. The blonde smiled faintly before she pressed her lips into her lover's—which took a while before she completely turned into a transparent soul.**

**She couldn't touch her again….even if she wished to be able to touch her and hug her tightly.**

**"Nozomi…..Goodbye…I—"**

* * *

And right just before she finished her words, a powerful beam of light blasted a part of the glass building.

Nozomi and Eli quickly turned around,

Gullveig stood in front of them.

"You again! Is it still not enough for you today?" Nozomi shouted furiously.

"Mama…." Eli mumbled as she stared at her in shock.

"I have no business with you… Toujou…"

Nozomi frowned,

"Whatever business do you have with Ericchi— you have to face me first…."

"Too much trouble…" Gullveig said before she dashed in a speed of light. Nozomi wasn't able to catch up with her—even though the darkness has made her stronger. Gullveig was able to touch her daughter's soul—right by her neck.

Nozomi turned around while she quickly rushed and caught Gullveig—though her hands somewhat slipped so quickly.

"No! You're not going to touch her!" Nozomi cried .

As the Angel-like figure pinned the others on the ground, the dark mage tried so hard to get back up on her feet. She struggled to hold her beloved soul—yet her hands couldn't even reach her. She screams her name in denial. She lost her wit in her dread, and the light mage who was known to be heartless smiled at her mockingly.

"Silence! Your emotion is nothing but a loud noise! Go back to your tranquility and gather your wit! Only act when you know what you truly wish!"

and a flash of light shines to the entire place.

* * *

**Ok, I lied. there will be one next chapter (and it's really a last chapter) and 1 Extra chapter. They're ready but waiting for the edits to finish~ please wait, ok?**


	33. Sleeping Beauty(?)

**K, Here is really the ending lol**

**Thanks for reviews/comment/faves and follows!**

**Thanks to Crimson too!**

* * *

Toujou's residence—morning;

She doesn't know how long she has been on her bed today—or perhaps, it wasn't just for today. She could only remember a flash of light shining around her. She wondered—if it was actually over for her and her lover?

Perhaps it was….

She could feel her head spinning to some extent. Looking down at herself, Nozomi started to wonder more about how she stayed clean the whole time, and not craving any food right after she woke up.

Is it a work of magic?

Nozomi stepped down from her bed,

She walked downstairs—observing her entire place which still remained as neat as it was back then. Then she peered through the window to see a few workers who seemed to be busy, rebuilding the Inn. Some already started to work at the farm while others busied themselves by re-stocking supplies.

It was a busy day for the village.

She wondered if she could do something to help out….

Nozomi decided to head out in her pajamas, not caring about what everyone thought about her for doing so ….

"N-Nozomi-chan! Why are you heading out with your pajamas?!" Kotori questioned the said person.

"Ah…Kotori-chan… morning!" Nozomi greeted her,

"Uhh! Morning! But still! Why are you heading out in your pajamas?!"

"Hmm…too lazy to change…" Nozomi replied.

"E-Eh?! People will see you, you know! That's embarrassing, Nozomi-chan!" Kotori scolded.

"Does it matter? I'm open for a relationship…" Nozomi replied again.

"N-Nozomi-chan!" Kotori frowned,

"What's wrong with that? It's fine for me to play around, right? It's not like anyone will mind…"

"I mind!" Kotori retorted.

"Oooh, Kotori-chan… are you up for me?"

"No! It just….. uhhh…. Nozomi-chan! Just…go back—and wear proper clothes! "

"Alright-alright…. I'll do it…." Nozomi said before she sluggishly headed back inside her house.

Kotori sighed weakly.

"Sheesh…Nozomi-chan… I thought you were done with shaming yourself…" she said,

"I wonder if she already knows….?" A soldier in her armored clothes said,

"Hmm…I wonder about that too, she has been sleeping with her…right?"

"I believe so…." The soldier replied as she tidied up her dark blue hair.

* * *

Somewhere near the village,

A big tree and a tombstone were set up neatly against each other, while a certain timid person sat next to it, arranging the flowers to decorate it. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching towards her.

"Kayooooo-chiiiiinnnnn!" a familiar voice called upon her, making the girl quickly stand up to greet her. The orange haired girl hugged her tight.

"Whaaah! Kayo-chin! Maki-chan is being bad-nya!" Rin complained.

"E-Eh?" Hanayo raised her eyebrow.

"Hey-hey, now… you're the one who's seeking trouble! Why the hell did you pour coffee in my soda?!" Maki said as she approached them—holding two cups of drinks.

"Soda Coffee….? That's a strange combination— but I don't believe it's healthy…." Hanayo said.

"Soda will never be healthy…. There is too much sugar in it…." Maki sighed

"Ah…."

"Well—Maki-chan told me that she needed something to buzz her up! So that's why I poured coffee in it! It was dark coffee!"

"S-Still, Rin-chan, don't pour a drink to another's drink…."

"Kids these days… shouldn't you be glad that you can buy a good drink? The inflation in this city is damned high lately…" Niko said as she advanced towards them.

"Ah…well, right… since the pirates are no longer operating… it's getting harder to get materials and they are also getting more expensive as well…." Maki said.

"It's going to take a while for the minor pirates to show up and do the trades…but at the moment, I bet Hanayo will be able to sell a lot in the city…." Niko said.

"Heh—isn't she also one of the biggest traders currently? I bet when she starts selling, she will start to kill all the other businesses too…" Maki smirked.

"Uh…you're right…" Niko replied.

"But hey, it's not that you're poor or something… you still can afford a lot of things on your own…" Maki said.

"Hehe—Niko-chan is a hedonist-nya!" Rin said.

"W-whoa! There! Rin! I'm not a hedonist!"

"Heh—what the hell is Hedonist anyway…" Maki asked.

"I don't know-nya!"

"T-Then don't just say it! Sheesh!"

Hanayo giggled,

"There-there… Maki-chan, Rin-chan, and Niko-chan… we should go back now…."

"Huh? Are you done with this?"

"Yup… I'm just here to decorate it…"

"But…Hanayo…really, why are you so kind to her? You don't even know her….?"

"Uh…I can't say I don't know her… and…I can't say I know her either. But…do we have to pick out who we're going to be kind with?"

"From what I know… she was… sort of a little annoying and… tricky…. Prideful too…" Niko said.

"Hmm…. I guess I can say that I agree with you a little…but… does it really matter? She is a person too—and I believe everyone wants to be treated kindly."

"I guess I can't argue with that. But…my point of view says… there's more complexity in that. We have to choose who we are going to be friends with…"

"Uhm…but….it's not like we always have to be kind with friends only, right?"

"Thing is…Hanayo, not everyone will return your kindness in the same way, and to trust a person is not as safe as sitting on a perfect four legged chair…"

"I'm aware of that… that's why, I always have a back-up… right Rin-chan?" Hanayo smiled at her closest friend.

"Of course-nya! I'll back up Kayo-chin!"

"Heh—not to talk about how you left her alone to do your job from time to time…" Maki said.

"T-that's…well… that's because Rin believes in Kayo-chin-nya!" Rin said.

"Yup, and I believe in Rin-chan!" Hanayo said.

Maki rolled her eyes,

"Whatever….. I don't know anymore…"

"Somehow… it feels like it was Hanayo who becomes a back-up for that silly girl…." Niko whispered,

"I totally see that happening…" Maki sighed heavily.

Suddenly, a phone call came in and Hanayo quickly picked it up.

"Hello? Koizumi Hanayo here…" she greeted,

Then everyone could hear someone talking to her through the phone.

"Oh…?! R-Really? Then… I'll hurry up and go… I'll see you later!"

Then she quickly closed the phone and ran off without her friends.

"W-whoa! Ha-Hanayo! Wait!"

* * *

Somewhere around the city;

A-rise's ship hurtled through the air to chase after a certain blonde woman with a pair of white wings, who flew quickly through all the obstacles.

"Just give up! Gullveig! You're under arrest!" Erena shouted through the speaker inside her ship.

"Whooaa! Tsubasa-chan! Look at that hotdog stand!" Honoka yelled in excitement as she looked down at the food stand.

"Ohh! Sounds nice! We should go get some!" Tsubasa said.

"T-Tsubasa! Focus! Erena yelled.

"Ahh! I want to get those cupcakes!" Anjuu pointed at a store from behind the ship's window.

"A-Anjuu! Not you too!"

Then as they returned their sights back to their target….

She was nowhere to be found…

"Damn it! We lost her again!" Erena shouted.

"Ooohh…. That's good! Let's head down and get some food! I'm so hungry!" Honoka said.

"It's not good! Damn it! We have been chasing after her for like… 3 days already?!"

"It's just 3 days...we can try again later... Now we need to save our stomach first…" Tsubasa said.

"Tsubasa!"

"Uhhmmmm….I really wants those cupcakes… if only there was someone who wanted to stop by and buy it with me…" Anjuu said with her cute begging voice.

Erena swears she almost screamed in frustration, but held back as she looked at her hungry friends…and seeing that there was no point in following a cold trail since their target fled without a trace.

She only can sigh heavily,

"Fine…let's get them…. sheesh…."

* * *

The Minami's Workshop;

Valkyrie Minami, Valkyrie Leyna and Professor Nishikino were working on tidying up the tools. The artifacts that they found were placed in a display and ready to be taken away from the place.

Valkyrie Minami sighed heavily,

"It turns out…the artifacts can only be used to build the proper homunculus… but still, I can't believe Gullveig actually remembered what minutes that we needed to watch… or else we would have had to watch the whole 500 hours total of the lesson video compilation."

"Well, she is the one who made it after all… her and Toujou…" Professor Nishikino said.

"They were planning to establish a big school together, and then share the knowledge…. It's really the opposite of what everyone always said about The Endless Citadel's people…." Valkyrie Leyna said.

"To be honest, Valkyrie Leyna…. Most of our people are stingy about knowledge… but if you're saying that, what they want to do is to break the stereotype… then, I suppose, I can see it that way…" Valkyrie Minami replied.

"By the way, what are you going to do next, Valkyrie Minami?" Professor Nishikino asked.

"I'm going to take a short vacation and spend my time with my daughter… I've been…neglecting her…. and I want to learn about how much she has grown… I don't want to lose to Gullveig in parenting…."

"Is that so? Then…I might as well take a moment to spend my time with my daughter…especially…since Eli-chan has already graduated from school…her safety kind of worries me."

"There's still Sonoda's daughter… I believe she will be able to take care of her…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Hmm..true..but she doesn't really get along with each other…. My daughter is an awkward girl who often speaks her mind inappropriately. Sometimes people get the wrong idea instead…."

"Ah…."

"I hope Sonoda will be able to adjust herself later, she needs to stop being too stiff with her point of views…" Professor Nishikino continued again,

"But…i think, they should be able to grow better as they keep hanging out with each other and everyone else like your daughter, don't you think?" Valkyrie Leyna said as she turn her sight to Valkyrie Minami.

"Well…for that…I'm not quite sure…." Valkyrie Minami said.

"Yes… if our daughters are traveling to earth and Terra from time to time, I think it will raise suspicion…" Professor Nishikino said.

"Remember what Gullveig said, if there's any way for the two to start a war and disturbs her peace, she will start slaughtering them both…. That means, in a way, she has turned herself into the bridge of the two worlds… " Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Ah…. something like… she becomes an enemy of everyone just so she can somehow unite them? It feels like that concept was used by the former pirates…. Except this time they are all focused on her and not them." Professor Nishikino said.

"Yes…after all, she is fulfilling what her husband wanted….such a strange woman…" Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Don't you think that concept was also used by Nozomi? She has been causing a lot of trouble too, right?" Valkyrie Minami asked,

"True… but are they doing the right things, I wonder?"

"I can't say it's the right thing, I can't say it's wrong either. Everything comes with moderation, there's a time when people just can't agree with each other and take things too seriously—and that's the time when someone has to come in and grab their attention… but also a time where they could've been in peace until she came in to disturb it…." Valkyrie Leyna said.

"You sound like you understand her a lot, Valkyrie Leyna… You might be qualified to be her mother." Valkyrie Minami appreciated.

"Really? I was just saying though…"

And the two mothers laughed softly at her.

"Anyhow… thank you so much for helping me out—I mean… helping us out…. we wouldn't be able to make it without you… and professor Nishikino…." Valkyrie Minami said.

"You should say thanks to the person that's still on the run right now too… she plays the biggest part in this success…." Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Oh….her…" Valkyrie Minami sighed weakly,

"What's her next mission, I wonder? She seems to be making herself busy lately... she even refuses to help us out in the clinic…" Professor Nishikino said.

"She is a wanted Criminal, so I don't think she'll be staying around for taking in such a responsibility…" Valkyrie Minami said.

"Or perhaps, she is just not into it yet…. Maybe you should wait until she finishes her mission…" Valkyrie Leyna said.

"Hmm… we're back to the first question again—what exactly is her mission?" Professor Nishikino wondered.

"I wouldn't know…" Valkyrie Leyna said with a faint mysterious smile.

* * *

The Village, morning;

Nozomi stepped out of her house, wearing her uniform once more after a long time, which consisted of a white shirt and a black tie that rested under the rest vest, along with a long dark brown skirt, her glove on one arm and a shoulder guard to complete her look.

"Nozomi-chan… why are you wearing that uniform again?"

"I'm going back to school! It's time for me to look for love once again!" Nozomi said.

"E-Ehhh?!" Kotori raised her eyebrow.

"But…Nozomi…I thought you're already committed…" Umi said.

"Y-Yeah….you promised that you won't just leave her…" Kotori said.

"You mean, with her? Well, she left me first… So I have my rights to find another…." Nozomi huffed.

Umi and Kotori remained quiet as they seemed more focused and interested in something else behind her,

"Besides! Think again, Ericchi is—…." And before she managed to finish talking, someone dumped a bucket of water on her.

Nozomi quickly turned around,

"Why are you—!"

She abruptly stopped as her eyes met the figure before her. A strong and tall woman stood in place; she had a well carved face and a slight muscular figure that didn't hinder the soft, delicate skin that complimented her womanly features. Her blonde hair was tied neatly into a ponytail while her azure eyes shined brightly in the morning's sun as it looked into Nozomi with disapproval, and her lips formed into a frown.

"Nozomi… I just left to get a bucket of water…and you suddenly say that you have the right to get another? Are you serious?"

"W-wh-wait…. Ericchi?! H-How could you?!" Nozomi looked carefully again from head to toe, making sure that her eyes weren't deceiving her. The blonde wore a black shirt, with dark blue trouser and brown shoes—it looked simple yet somewhat fashionable.

"How could I….what?" Eli frowned.

"I thought…you…you were dead….?"

"Nozomi… are you seriously thinking that about me? I've been at your side for the past days three days…feeding you, giving you a bath, even—taking you to the bathroom when you needed to go…. And you still think I'm dead?"

"But…."

"There's no but…."

"W-wait a minute….Eli…. did she…seriously eat while you fed her and did things in the bathroom when you took her there?" Umi asked,

"She has been mumbling my name in her sleep—also mumbling about Yakiniku or some other food with meat in it…it takes a while for me too, to understand when she needs to do her business…. but I swear… that's the most troublesome part….everyone should start asking the big question when they hear the sleeping beauty story. Just imagine what food she ate and who cleaned up her wastes when she did it…."

"Ewww….th-that's disgusting! I can't imagine how dirty her dress was!" Kotori said.

"Exactly…"

"I heard we can eat insects in our sleep…" Umi said.

"U-Umi-chan! No! Ewww!" Kotori covered her ears.

"Thank you for adding that in the story…Umi…" Eli chuckled slightly.

"I...I was just saying, I accidentally saw those kinds of articles somewhere…"

"Stop reading random articles! Umi-chan!" Kotori said.

"Insects aren't that bad…" Nozomi said.

"N-Nozomi-chaaan!"

"Come on, you're an alchemist, you use a lot of random stuff too…"

"True—but…still! The idea of insects crawling inside someone's mouth is disgusting!"

"Blame Umi-chan for that…" Nozomi said.

"Nozomi!" Umi protested.

"E-Either way! I'm leaving for now! I need to take a breath of fresh air from this conversation!" Kotori said before she placed down her tools and briskly walked away.

"W-wait! Kotori!" Umi quickly chased after her.

Nozomi and Eli watched the blue haired warrior trying to apologize to Kotori who seemed to be really upset from the conversation.

"Shouldn't you be the one to apologize? You started this…" Nozomi said a little playfully.

"But I was just telling the truth…" Eli replied.

Nozomi giggled,

"Fine… but I never knew that she dislikes these kinds of topics… she never shows her hate towards insects…"

"Either way, you were also adding in details…. So… you should apologize too, right?"

"Hmm…I'll do that later…. Since…" Nozomi touched her lover's hips,

"I want to hear more about what you did to me… the last 3 days…."

Eli frowned slightly,

"Are you flirting with me right after you said you wanted to move on from me?"

"T-That was a misunderstanding! Besides! It was your fault to scare me like that, that night! I swear I saw you disappearing… I…I don't understand what exactly happened just now…I felt bad for not being able to help out everyone …. Since…I believe, they got through a lot of things…. and I just didn't know because I was too busy giving up… you were not helping either! I wish you woke me up as soon as you returned!"

"I did! Then you said… Ericchiiii cook me Yakinikuuuuuuuu!" Eli mimicked her accent.

"Then, why don't you spank me?"

"I did! Then you farted!"

"Spank me again?"

"I don't even want to say what happened next—either way, it just doesn't work!"

"Then it's your fault! I wouldn't be so sad to the point where I didn't want to wake up until I could forget about you!"

Eli sighed heavily.

Before she grabs her lover and lifts her up,

"Fine… I'm sorry… now let's change out of these wet clothes of yours… then go to wherever you want to go… I got my ship back last night…" the blonde said as she carried her lover back into the house.

"I want to go to Kotori-chan's workshop first, to ask for what exactly happened while I was sleeping…."

Nozomi said.

"Alright…you got it…." Eli replied as she moved towards the bathroom.

"Then I want to go to Pure Love Lens Lake to thank the fairies…"

"Mhm…you should probably thank them too…" Eli replied as she took off her lover's clothes.

"Then…I want to go to the city to say thanks to the old man…"

"The news said that he was killed and replaced by a new generation… Hanayo's family was being registered there, so…. She might have a chance to become the leader of earth …."

"Oh…."

"…also, my mother was the one behind the murder….can you believe that…" Eli sighed.

"Did she kill Mrs. Terra too?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes…she did…. My mother is still on her killing spree…and currently being hunted down by the police…" Eli replied as she pulled down all the clothes.

"At least she isn't just killing random people…. She somewhat has a political reason behind that and…. Many people are happy with her acts… no one actually complained." She added as she stood up to place Nozomi's clothes away.

Nozomi quickly held her as she was about to walk away. Eli turned around to see her shirtless lover, seductively looking at her as she slowly spread open her legs.

The blonde was speechless as red tainted her face enough to rival a tomato,

Before she was able to react any other way, Nozomi slowly trailed her hands to her lover's hand. She smiled at her and carefully led her hands to touch her belly—then down to her core behind her underwear.

"Will you touch me…with your new body… darling?" she whispered hungrily.

Eli was still silent as her eyes looked at the girl before her, in awe.

"Nozomi…." she whispered her name as she decided to lean closer to her.

The purplenette giggled before she brushed her own fingers against her thigh, inviting the blonde to the feast of lust.

"Come and enjoy it…. I want to know how skillful you are with those hands…" she said seductively.

The blonde looked at both of her hands—she noticed that she somewhat has longer fingers which were beautifully made. It was as though it was meant to be used for such purposes.

"The person who made your new body surely knows what you need, hmm?"

"I wouldn't know…." Eli replied softly before she began to touch her dearest love.

* * *

Somewhere far away.

On an empty land—a light mage with blonde hair stood as she pensively watched the nearby lush forest in the distance. She then raised her sight up to the sky where she fought with the dark mage, and sighed weakly as her fist clenched.

"What a fool…." She whispered to herself.

Suddenly, she felt someone approached her,

"And who is this fool you're talking about, Gullveig?" that someone asked.

Gullveig glanced towards the voice,

"It's none of your business…" she replied.

"Then…may I make a guess….. This fool is, beautiful, blonde and standing right in front of me?"

Gullveig fully rotated to see her,

"Can you split yourself with Valkyrie Leyna first before saying such things? You know I don't like talking to strangers… and my vision hurts seeing someone else talking that way to me…"

"Hmmm… touché…" The silver haired Valkyrie giggled,

"But…that would be the ever genius—or let's say… The Clever and Cute…. Gullveig's mission?" she continued.

"Just….Split yourself from her first before saying that!" Gullveig said desperately.

"I'm trying to add the motivation to my dear Gullveig…"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Fine..fine…calm your tits, silly…."

Gullveig sighed heavily.

"Why are you here anyway…? I would split you if I could… you don't have to annoy me…"

"Annoying you is just one of my hobbies… but my main purpose here is just to tell you something…."

"Then speak…." The blonde said coldly,

The silver haired Valkyrie smiled faintly,

"You don't have to be scared to fall in love—and you don't have to play a villain to make yourself look stronger than anyone else… Stop doing something for someone else… start doing it for yourself—and that doesn't mean to be selfish, but to do what you want to do and make yourself happy… You've done more violence than kindness, you have made more trouble than a solution, and those were all just to prove your point about how angry you were at me…yet you're scared to tell me because no matter how much pain I've caused you, you still want to love me so badly. Your action speak against your fear. "

Gullveig sighed heavily again.

"If I didn't do that… you wouldn't believe me… right?"

The silver haired Valkyrie giggled,

"I know…I know… it was my mistake…. Please forgive me, ok? Now we both learned our lesson. Thanks to your daughter for pointing it out…"

Gullveig sighed again,

"Seriously… Why are you so stubborn? Can't you even tell that all I wanted back then was for you to come back to me instead of siding with more people to crush me?"

"Well—In my defense, I wouldn't know since you kept crushing people around me! It's your fault!"

* * *

**-THE END-**

* * *

**Alrighty, again, thanks for everyone who've been supporting me...it was really hard for me to finish this coz I have a lot of things to do in real. Also a lot of deadlines as well. 1 Extra Chapter is on the list. Waiting for the editing to finish.**

**Also, thanks for the kind words!**

**Please forgive me for the OOC. I'm trying to adjust their characters v_v (and somewhat still failed at times)**

**Don't forget to click the fave button. Sometime I'm checking my quality of story by looking at which fan fiction have more faves. (and read the most faved one). Thanks to you that 'Secret Romance' hits the top 10! I will try to write more stuff like that in the future, just like my incoming short FF, A Picture of You and I (NozoEli) . There will be NikoMaki coming up too, with NozoEli side pairing , it's gonna be called as To My Music of Life.**

**Please look forward to it~ **

* * *

**Story Reference:**

**Love Live! (obviously)**

**A conversation with Kurosea- about mixing 2 universe together.**

**Mass Effect**

**Dragon Age**

**Final Fantasy**

**Avatar (The Legend of Aang etc.)**

**Valkyrie Profile**

**The Nordic Stories**


	34. EXTRA CHAPTER

**EXTRA CHAPTER:**

* * *

Two years passed,

So much has happened, and so many things have changed. The village is no longer a quiet place—there's a memorial structure—a tall and exotic tower of earth with trees growing beautifully around it.

A mature-like blonde woman stood next to it, explaining to the visitors about the history of the structure…

"…and then—the bad witch struck down her powerful beam, blasting away the others mercilessly. It was an epic fight, and it was really-really intense as the bad witch was known to be immortal as well…" she said.

"Ah! Question, Alisa-san!" said someone from the audience,

"Yes?"

"We're from the school of art…and we were sort of tasked to create the re-imagination of this moment. We have a few of art works ready—though we're not quite sure which one is the closest one… can you give a confirmation?" he asked.

Alisa remained quiet for a moment,

"Yes…. Of course…" she replied.

Then they started to move a few paintings of the re-imagination.

They were all showing a dark angel-like figure fighting against a white mage sitting on a majestic Gryffin, but created in a lot of different styles.

"Hmm…how do I say this…." she paused to take a closer look,

"The picture…..certainly is a re-imagine of the fight between the good witch and the bad witch…. But…. perhaps, there are some details that need to be fixed…. I can't say its wrong though, because—this is how the society describes the bad and the good. Anyhow…if I had to re-picture it from the actual history…. the bad witch is in white and the good witch is in black…" she continued again.

"I see…. then we will try to re-make them…" they said.

"Great! Then…for the next stop…."

Alisa continued to guide them through the whole tour.

A silver Haired Valkyrie stood nearby as she watched over the blonde woman. Suddenly, a young ash brunette approached her,

"Valkyrie Leyna… I'm ready to leave with the others…" she said.

"Ah, Kotori-san, thank you for trusting me with the village…" Valkyrie Leyna replied politely.

"Hehe…well, someone confirmed that you can be trusted…so… yep…besides, you have a little history here too… it would be nice for you to continue it as yourself…"

Valkyrie Leyna smiled,

"Honestly, I don't know how to feel about it… but I suppose you're trying to encourage me—so thanks…besides…"

She glanced at the horse in Nozomi's stable.

"I like talking to him—like, a lot! He is a good friend!"

"Hehe, yup! Also, if the police comes to pick up the paperwork, it should be in my workshop…."

"Understood…"

"Then, uh… if they need me, I should be using my business number—so tell them to call me anytime…"

"You got it..."

"That's it, bye-now!" Kotori said before she ran to the dark blue ship—with "Anemone heart" written on it.

Then just within minutes, the ship skyrocketed away.

* * *

Far away in the space—The Mother ship;

The Game Center was crowded—people surrounded the rhythm game platforms as three players stood ready on each stage.

"Maki… you've practiced enough, right?" the blonde on the left stage said.

"Yeah...even bought the training dummy for myself at home…" the red haired woman who stood in the middle replied.

"What about you, Umi?" the blonde asked the dark blue haired woman far off to the right.

"I'm ready as ever, Eli!" She replied–feeling slightly nervous.

"Alright, let's not embarrass ourselves by missing a beat…or get 'good', ok? Let's aim for a full combo…!" Eli said.

The trio took a deep breath. Then they look down to their stage.

"Music—Start!" Maki said as she pressed start the button.

And the song instantly began to play,

The trio stood in a cool pose and then as the rhythm started, they moved their feet according to the steps. Without a single miss or poor accuracy, they played through the game with their free-style dancing, leaving the audience astounded by their beauty and grace.

People were screaming—some from the top of their lungs while some, internally dying as their jaws were left hanging.

About three minutes passed and the three still danced on, their elegance and infectious energy, caused the audience to get more excited, they swore that no one has ever showed such a stunt before in Terra.

When the song came close to an end, Umi, Maki, and Eli glanced at each other, before they finished the song with a banging pose as they looked into the audience coolly—winking at them seductively and causing some to faint in excitement…

The females started to scream loudly as they began to wave their hands and some even started to run in to ask for autographs. Umi, Maki and Eli tidied up their hair before they started to sign their names for each person that came up to them.

"Hah—it's not that bad to be popular when you're already outside the school year. No more bullies, No more weird rules, and no more pesky seniors…or noisy juniors…" Maki said.

"Pesky seniors? Are you talking about me?" Eli asked teasingly.

"Somewhat, yes. You are one of them…"

"I actually enjoy this kind of thing now…" Umi admitted.

"Only because you can actually make money from being popular…. And we can always ignore the fact that we get in trouble more times than actually making money… thanks to someone's fiancée…" Maki glanced at Eli.

"Now-now, you shouldn't blame Nozomi…. Anyway, let's talk about…your Anemone Heart…." Eli said to Umi,

"Yes, what about my ship?"

"Kotori asked me to pick up your key for her—she wants to use the ship for a while…"

"W-W-what?! Eli! How could you?!"

"She was going out with Rin and the others to help Hanayo… I can't possibly refuse them!" Eli said.

"Rin and the others, huh? I wonder what help they are helping with…" Maki said.

"No idea, but anyway, Rin left a message at my home today too. She said, she went to borrow your Beat in Angel as well…"

"W-whoaa?! W-what the heck? What if she crashes it?!"

"Well, the only thing I'm wondering about is how she got your key if you didn't allow it…." Eli said.

"Like I know!"

"Say, though. Did Nozomi also go out with them?"

"Yep, pretty much… but I have full faith in her….so I don't mind…"

"Sheesh…. But still, why do they have to go out all so sudden…" Umi complained.

"Political problems, you just can't refuse to help Hanayo out with it. She was totally like 'Someone, please save meeee…' every single time she got a new-kind of case. She is just not used to it yet…" Eli replied.

"From an Inn owner to the leader of earth… I wonder what they were exactly thinking… I mean like, how is that even related?" Maki said.

"Business and Politics are so close with each other…. Except—Businesses are a lot more obvious when asking for money while Politics is a bit more secretive…" Eli replied with a playful smile.

"Haha—Yeah…." Umi chuckled,

The trio walked away from the crowd—yet they were still being followed by a few of them, screaming and shouting their names excitedly.

"By the way….." Eli embraced both of them. Maki and Umi turned their eyes towards their senior.

"Should we play around a bit?" Eli glanced at the group of girls who walked behind them.

"Eli… Nozomi will be angry….." Umi said.

"Yeah… do you want more bloodshed?" Maki raised one of her eyebrows.

"Oh don't you worry about that, we're just going to play…a little game together…. She probably won't be here for like…another week or so anyway…and those girls probably won't tell her either…" Eli said.

"I…I don't know Eli… I don't think I'm up for it…" Umi replied.

"I'm certainly not up for that…." Maki said with a sigh at the end of her statement.

"Oh Come on…. No one is cheating or anything. We're just going to play around… can you hear the storm in their hearts? They're raging to call upon our little game of love…." Eli said as she brushed her finger against her junior's shoulders.

"S-S-Storm in lover!" Umi said nervously.

"Oh go away…." Maki replied as she glanced away.

"It will be fun, trust me…" Eli winked at Maki,

"No… just go away. I don't want to be in this mess with you…"

"Hmm...That's too bad…" Eli smiled mischievously before she turned around and shouted to the crowd,

"Everyoneee! Maki is daring you for a blind date! The first one to catch her wins!"

"W-Wait! Eli!" Maki protested, though before she could say anything more, a huge crowd started to run at her.

"Damn it!" Maki quickly ran away for her dear life.

"So…how about you? Up for singing the storm in lover with me now?" Eli asked Umi—who was watching Maki with her jaw left hanging while her eyes spelled fear,

"Y-Y-yes….I…I guess?"

"Perfect!" Eli replied happily.

"And now—…."

Eli began to explain to Umi about her plan as they walked closely.

Without them realizing, they were being watched by a woman with a helmet equipped over her head and fully armored in a dark purple metallic space suit. And beside her stood a woman with blonde hair wearing a white space suit and her wings, stowed away to avoid too much attention.

"Hmmm….she kind of reminded me of your mother…." the fully armored woman said,

"She's disgusting…and act stupid like her father…." The blonde replied.

"Perhaps I would call her as a tactical person instead—since… she totally planned out all her actions…just like you…"

"I wish I could disown her… stupid child. I'd rather go around with Alisa anytime. Just look at her, she is continuing her career as an archeologist and now living on her own money….even though her father helps her with the gallery management… but she is still a smart child—unlike her stupid elder sister…."

The fully armored woman giggled,

"Funny, when you demanded for a divorce after resurrecting him…you totally said… he can have Alisa….and then you just leave them both…"

"It was done because I can't imagine how much trouble Alisa will have to go through if she has two idiots at home. Someone needs to take the other one … besides, your daughter probably needs her more than me or anyone else…" the blonde replied as she blushed faintly.

"Fine…."

"Tsk…. You know, she also always wished to have a happy family…. You know such a childish wish will never happen…."

The other woman giggled softly as she looked at how red the blonde's face was as she said it.

Then suddenly…..

"W-whoa! That's Gullveig!" a girl with ginger hair shouted, the blonde woman turned her gaze towards the person who shouted. There was Honoka, Tsubasa, Anjuu and Erena who seemed to be holding a snack in their hands.

"You are under arrest!" Erena shouted as she rapidly advanced towards them—still with a snack in her hand. Gullveig sighed at the police.

"Good luck, Erena!" Anjuu shouted cheerfully.

"Anyway, I'm going to teach her a lesson for cheating, you should return to your office. I didn't place you there for nothing…"

"I know..I know… I'll be a good Mrs. Terra for Sir Terra…" the woman replied teasingly.

"First of all I'm a woman; second, I'm not even married to you… and third, stop calling yourself with that stupid title…" The blonde frowned before she left immediately while Erena tried hard to catch up with her speed.

The fully armored woman sighed.

"Sheesh, my dear Gullveig, why are you always running before I could propose you for marriage..." she said sadly.

* * *

Somewhere far away–the DAT Planet;

A dragon-headed like creature shook his hand with the young short haired mage in her green space suit,

"T-Thank you…Sir Briand…. The earth will start sharing the magical knowledge as exchange for the eco-friendly non-magic technology…I will try my best to persuade them to accept such as a way to advance the era…"

"You're very welcome, Ms. Koizumi! By the way, I heard a few people are making their come-back declaration after a strange power revived them from the dead… is that true?" Briand asked.

"Uh…well…I know a few people are being resurrected by a specific someone…" Hanayo replied.

"Oh! Okay… but I also heard that Toujou's mother is being resurrected as well, but no one has any idea where she has gone off to or who resurrects them… man—I bet she must be looking for the one behind her death. I heard her death was horrible and humiliating, she must be up for revenge right now!" Briand continued.

"I…I don't know about that!"

"Ahaha—that's fine little girl! The thing that I'm glad about is that Eir Rangrid is not being resurrected—I can't imagine the trouble she can cause, she is an expert butt licker like her mother! Lenora Rangrid! I've heard that from everyone lately!"

"I...I don't know about that either!"

"And oh-oh! I also heard that the artifacts that was found and decoded were officially bought by Ayase family to be exhibited in the gallery—but man, who wants to watch the content of the artifacts! Ain't nobody got time for that!" Briand continued again.

"O..Oh…."

"Then—there's also the police who keep hunting for Gullveig, the famous criminal who has killed a lot of important figures... man—who can catch that crazy woman?"

Hanayo flustered—she couldn't even leave the conversation as Briand kept blabbering about a lot of things.

"What about... Toujou Nozomi, who returned to school and instantly earned the title of a headmistress?! I heard that many of the alumni demanded her to be the headmistress again….said—they can't see her as anyone below that? But she isn't actually doing a good job, is she?"

"W-whaaa….I…I don't know! S-Someone please save meeee!"

Outside the room, Niko, Rin, Kotori and Nozomi fell asleep while waiting for Hanayo to finish—until suddenly someone's tablet started to chime loudly.

Nozomi and everyone else quickly woke up to check their tablet.

Apparently, it was Nozomi's tablet which received a notification. She carefully opened it up and….

Everyone's eyes instantly shot open,

There was a picture of Eli and Umi sitting on the couch, with drinks on the table while girls surrounded them. They don't appear to be aware of the camera. Then there were a few more shots with different angles and time—which clearly showed Eli groping one of the girl's assets.

"W-wow….when was this taken…." Niko asked.

The date in the camera showed to be recently taken…

"Looks like someone is in trouble-nya…." Rin said.

"U…Umi-chan…" Kotori sadly said as she saw a picture of Umi letting herself fed by one of the girls holding a sweet looking macaroon.

"I want to do that too!" Kotori continued again.

Nozomi's eyes turned cold as she frowned deeply. She kept scrolling down until she noticed the name of the sender.

_Heidr._

She didn't know who the person behind that name was—but, she will have to thank her for informing her. Plus… the fact that she also gave her an option.

"If you don't like this to happen, just say press this button below and chant the spell …"

_If we never met, if I had never known you all…._

_I can't even imagine it now…_

_ While bringing up the fragments of all your dreams, I found myself, at some point, growing just as passionate…_

_ So that everyone's hopes will never grow dim, I want to protect them, I want to continue on protecting them… and I'm sure, we are destined to meet, and even if we will be separated, the feeling that I have until today will surely be bright and overflow_

And without a second thought, Nozomi pressed the button and began to chant the familiar spell.

As the spell took effect, a bright light shined upon them. Kotori quickly grabbed onto Nozomi as the two suddenly disappeared along with the light, leaving only Niko and Rin behind.

"E-Ehh?! W-What happen?!" Niko asked,

"I-I don't know-nya!"

"Ah well, it's their business anyway, we can always stay here and wait for Hanayo-chan instead…" Niko said.

"Yup—let's just wait for Kayo-chin-nya!"

* * *

Back to Terra;

The lights glowed brightly around the room as the girls still surrounded the two former soldiers. The blonde happened to be enjoying the chat as her hands traveled to every girl's assets.

"—haha, it's not that hard, really. When you've learned about how to be in the front line, you would know about how to get the enemy's attention. Shining armor is one of the factors, but you don't really have to worry about that since, perhaps, your hair color is already attractive enough!"

The girls giggled,

"I'm joking, but in all honesty, color does matter—even in the battlefield! We're no longer in an age where everyone has to be wear a camouflage color—then paint our face with similar color with the environment to blend in… "

The girls laughed again,

"Ayase-san! Please tell me what type of girls that you like!"

"Hmm..type of girls, huh? Well, as you all know—I'm already taken by one girl that I hold dearly…. But it's not like I'm not up for playing around with the others… so I guess, just stay who you are… I'll still play with you…"

"W-waaaah! Ayase-san! This is so unlikely to happen though! I mean… I heard back then that you were so cold and abusive towards your fans…"

"Perhaps it's just that because I've learned enough about how to embrace myself… I just realized I have a pair of beautiful arms and body… its worth showing off sometimes… right Umi?" Eli turned around,

But the bluenette was currently too occupied with food boxes that were brought in by her fans.

"Waaa! Sonoda-san! You eat a lot!"

"Yes—I have always had enough space for snacks as delicious as this..." Umi replied clearly. Then her fans screamed in happiness as she said it.

Eli smirked at her….

"W...wow…so that's how you charm…huh?"

"Ayase-san! Tell me about the girl you are in love with!"

"Hmmm…about Nozomi? I could go on all day about her….but anyhow, first of all— none of you here have better assets than her…." Eli said as she squint her eyes emotionlessly.

The girls screamed in exhilaration. Eli was flustered at first—though she started to understand something.

"It's big but not oversized, it's squishy and warm but doesn't have too much fat, well rounded, cute face, beautiful eyes, charming voice, and extremely a lot more attractive than any of you here…" Eli continued again.

Then again—the girls screamed. Eli nodded with a playful smile on her face.

"The best thing about her is that she put a lot of effort for me—I put my best effort for her too. She is just a part of my life and I can't imagine myself living without her….while you…. all of you… I just need your money!"

And the girls screamed again,

"Kyaaaahh! Abuse me more Ayase-san! Take my money! Take everything from me! Harass me more if you want too!"

"Good-good, at least all of you know where you belong… its right under my feet, right?"

"Please step on my face! Ayase-san!" shouted a girl

"Very well…then let's—…."

And before Eli could finish her words, someone spanked her hard from behind,

"Aaargfhh!" the blonde shouted as she turned around,

A purple-haired woman stood with her arms crossed and aggravated towards the blonde, while also an ash brunette woman stood behind her…

"O-o….N-Nozomi…..?"

"Ericchi….." Nozomi frowned unhappily at her.

"I..I thought you will return in a week or so?"

"Well—I got someone reporting to me….but let's put that aside…." Nozomi said coldly before she grabbed Eli by the ear.

"W-whoa! O-Oouch! Nozomi!"

"Party is over… darling…now it's time to go home…. Apparently it's not safe to let you wander around this place…"

"W-whoa! U-Umi! Back me up!" Eli said. Then as Umi glanced at the pair—her eyes automatically focused on the ash brunette who had been looking at her disappointedly.

Then to her senior who was being dragged away by the purplenette, by her ears.

"Well…. I…"

Time felt like it had stopped as the surrounding girls watched the occurring drama.

Umi sighed weakly. Then she quickly stood up—walked to the front and kneeled, then bowed down to the ash brunette and purplenette.

"I'm sorry…." she said,

"This is all Eli's fault…" she pointed at the blonde.

"H-Hey! What happen to the Warrior's oath?!" Eli protested,

"A warrior did not lie… Eli… This is actually your fault…. I wouldn't go to the storm if you weren't dragging me to it…"

"W-what?!"

"Now, that settles it, I'm taking you back home, Ericchi!" Nozomi started to drag Eli away from the place.

"W-whoa! Nozomi! T-That hurts! At least pull something else!"

Her fans flustered—though they started to nod after a while,

"I see… so that's Ayase-san type of girl…"

"Abusive… got it…"

Then they all left the room.

And with that, there was only Kotori and Umi left.

Umi still, not looking at her began to ask,

"Now, Kotori… is there anything you want to do to me?" Umi asked.

"E-Eh? Well…Umi-chan… you know…. I…." Kotori paused as she began to blush.

Umi raised her head to see her face,

"Actually… I…."

"Yes, Kotori?" Umi asked again.

"I…I have been…"

Umi started to tense, trying to hear more from her…

"I have been….wanting…."

Umi's heart beat got faster and louder…

The two looked at each other…

"I have been wanting the macaroons you were having!" Kotori shouted.

"Whoaah! I'm sorry Kotori! I should've known that earlier! I certainly will share with you!"

* * *

Then meanwhile…. Somewhere around Terra….

Maki still ran around town as the girls continued to chase after her….

"I said no! It wasn't me! It was all Eli's trick!" Maki shouted.

Yet the girls screamed,

"Kyaaaaa! Reject me more! Nishikino-san!"

They kept running after her.

"Nishikino-san! Let's make a baby! With all of us! "

"What the hell, No!"

"Kyaaaa! I'm being rejected by Nishikino-san!"

The crowd got wilder.

"Darn it! Eli! I swear to you! I'll make you pay one day!"

And the red haired woman ran forward as the group of girls chased her endlessly.

* * *

**Alright, That's it for the Extra Chapter! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Also, thanks for loving me! I love you all too!**

**Thanks for Supporting NozoEli too! Please love them more!**

**Then as a gratitude too for all the supports...I got a bonus scene here~**

* * *

**\- BONUS -**

* * *

As Eli and Nozomi arrived back to earth,

They returned to Toujou's residence. Nozomi was still upset about the previous event. Eli noticed how distant she looked as she open the door for her.

"Stay here…. And don't go out until I return…." Nozomi ordered.

Eli remained quiet for a moment, and then smiled softly,

"Hey… are you really upset with what I did there?"

Nozomi averted her eyes away from the blonde,

"No….I'm used to it…." she replied.

"That's a lie, isn't it….?"

"Of course not…."

The purplenette replied somewhat coldly.

The blonde giggled before she dragged the purplenette inside with her and closed the door gently. Pushing the upset girl against the wall and lean in closer to her,

"You should be honest with me…."

"….and you should stop cheating!" Nozomi said angrily with a huge frown on her face.

The blonde was silent, though instead of giving her a reply; she smiled naughtily before she dragged her lover into her embrace, pressing her lips deeply against hers.

"Mmmh—Ericchi! You're not—Mmmhh!" the mage tried to shove her away, but her lover was obviously still as strong as she was when her arm was made out of metal. Her kiss dominated her easily, her warmth seduced her to euphoria, and her skill of kissing surely surpasses the comfort that she got from the fluffiest bed.

"Ericchi!" she tried to protest, yet the blonde kept on kissing her.

"Wh-Why are you?! mmmh….." another kiss stopped her from talking,

"—you were not this—mmmmhh….." then the mage's tongue was bitten gently and sucked deep into the blonde's mouth. Nozomi couldn't continue talking as their mouths connected to each other's and their tongue played inside.

The blonde continued touching the latter until she eventually started to strip off Nozomi's clothes as their lips were still connected.

As she finally let the mage to take a break from all the kissing,

Eli giggled at her.

"You know what turns me on the most about you?"

The mage didn't respond as she was left breathless and panting heavily.

"It's the way you're always so demanding—yet keep lying to cover it…"

"You're just an idiot who doesn't know when to let things go…"

"Trust me… I know when to give up…."

Eli leaned closer,

"After all, you will forever be my best girl….Nozomi—If i was told to choose a thousand girl to be my lover, I will choose you a thousand times..."

And the blonde once again pressed her lips against her lover's passionately.


	35. EXTRA STORY: What Family is to you

**As promised! 2nd Extra for this fan fiction!**

**Thanks to Lightriver33 for the edits and her hard work!**

* * *

**_BREAKING NEWS:_**

_Gullveig is finally slain!_

"Turn off that damn thing, now!" shouted Erena as she pointed to the screen on the wall of her office.

"There-there, Erena-chan. I thought you'll be happy with that news." Anjuu replied when she switched off the screen.

"You know I'm not happy with that! I told them that I don't want to kill her!" Erena said.

"Heh, Erena. You know what? When I read the details of the report, I don't think Gullveig is dead." Tsubasa said as she keep her eyes on her personal computer's screen.

"And how are you so sure about that?" Erena asked.

"Here, let me read you the part." Tsubasa turned her screen to towards Erena.

"The Police signed an agreement with a scientist from another universe. They said that they are about to convert her into a power source and drain her powers to be used for an important project." Tsubasa read for her friend.

"In other words, she is still alive but has been thrown to another universe. With her ability to convert light as power, she will no doubt live eternally, as long as she is surrounded by light sources, even if it is only light from an electronic device." she continued.

"Then, we need to find her and take her back." Erena said.

"Don't you sweat over that! Take a look at this news." Tsubasa changed the tab in her browser.

"Miss Terra's disappearance and the Malfunctioning technology: Will Terra have to reroll the dice of government again?" Erena read for herself.

"Ah, as expected. I heard that Miss Terra is a close friend of Gullveig's and they are seen together most of the time. It almost feels like they are in a romantic relationship." Anjuu said.

Soon after she finished speaking, a police officer suddenly barged into their office.

"I-I'm sorry! Mam! We are here to give an urgent report!" he said.

"What is it?" Erena asked.

"Miss Terra has returned, but at the same time, we found that a trace of Gullveig has returned as well. But our technician said that our detector is malfunctioning!" he said.

"So, here's my guess. The Chief want us to meet with Miss Terra to check on her condition?" Tsubasa asked.

"Aye, and if it is also possible for you to track for Gullveig while you're on it. The theory about this is either the detector is malfunctioning or Gullveig truly used her chance to return as we worked to rescue Miss Terra." He replied.

"Hmm… Rescuing Miss Terra, huh? Shouldn't that be the job for their soldiers? The Police shouldn't help with anything like that. It can cause a bad intergalaxies rumor." Erena asked.

"Yes, but, apparently, we are also to blame for causing the technology malfunction, that's why the chief told us to take responsibility." the police replied.

"Alright, I'll bite that. What do you think, Tsubasa?" Erena asked her team leader.

"Let's check on Terra. My intuition says that we truly need to talk with Miss Terra to ask for an explanation."

* * *

Terra's Mother Ship, Leader's room;

A fully armored woman sat on her desk as she kept looking at a tall blonde with fierce, icy blue eyes. She has been sitting there in silence while the blonde woman breathed deeply to composed herself.

"Heidr…" the Blonde said.

"You have my thanks. I thought I would be stuck in there eternally." she continued.

"You're welcome, Gullveig. So I guess we are even now?" the fully armored woman replied.

"I suppose you can say that. Thank you." The blonde replied again.

"Now, you should go away from this place. The Police scheduled a meeting with me in an hour. I don't want them to panic over you again." Heidr said.

"I understand." Gullveig nodded.

"Oh, by the way." Heidr called the blonde again before she teleported away.

"Can you say hello to my daughter? I've not seen her in a while." She continued.

Gullveig remained silent.

"She might be busy with her shop, right? Or perhaps she decided to help out Valkyrie Minami's school? It's been so peaceful on earth and here. I doubt she is up for anything bizarre." Heidr said.

"If you miss your daughter, you should meet her. You are her mother, not me." Gullveig replied.

"I can't. She won't forgive me for what I did. I've left a big scar in her memory so I don't want her to remember me anymore." Heidr replied.

"You are stubborn." Gullveig said.

Heidr giggled at her statement.

"Gullveig, I don't want to hear that from you." she said with a gentle smile.

Gullveig rolled her eyes before she disappeared from her spot.

* * *

Earth, night-time;

The small Village had grown into a big city. Koizumi's Inn is run by Rin, Maki, and Niko, while Minami's Atelier is run by Kotori, Umi, and Honoka, and Toujou's residence was turned into a repair shop that will accept either Cyber or Magic technology.

The City is always busy day and night. The Koizumi's Inn also has opened a night-café with a guaranteed healthy menu. Niko, who usually works as the head chef, took up the bar's night shift while Maki, who usually runs the economy and engineering in the city, is always the first customer to show up in the bar. She sit on the rightmost seat under the warm orange light and she always loves the calm atmosphere of the bar.

"Heh, Hanayo surely has so much to do as the leader of earth. She can't even visit her farm everyday anymore." Maki said as she stared at her glass of ice as she poured the beer.

"You miss her?" Niko asked as she took the bottle once the glass of her customer was filled to the brim.

"A little. Not that I complain when she returns. The joyful look in her eyes surely beats anything sparkling in this Inn." Maki said.

"Hah, I rather enjoy her cry whenever she returns. It's already three years for her in the world of politics and she is still crying over the cruel rumors about her." Niko replied.

"Are you sure you enjoy that? She literally floods your table with tears when she does that."

"That's what makes it enjoyable, you know. The last time she returned, it's only a few centimeters width of tears pool. I'm sure that one day she will get used to it."

"Is that so? Then I can't say much. I'd hope to see that. She is like the only person who can be trusted with this earth. She worked hard to maintain peaceful days, after all." Maki said.

"I'd object on 'peaceful days'. Ever since the war ended, people are trying to raise their own issues. Just yesterday, they said they are going to hunt for Necromancer in the ancient mountain near Pure Love Lens Lake. The rumor said that those Necromancers are trying to awaken the ultimate Judge of Darkness." Niko said.

"Judge of Darkness, the heck is that?" Maki asked as she lifted her eyebrow.

"You didn't know? That's like the oldest myth in this village. The Judge of Darkness will ascend from the shadows… she is merciless and will slay any creature that opposes her law. Her true nature remains unknown, but some said that she is a benevolent being."

"Then that shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"That's a problem! Because, when she reigned, there were always those who fall victim to her inside the dark forest. Their painful screams could be heard but their bodies will never be found. No one knows what exactly the law that Judge of Darkness created is, but her existence makes everyone paranoid." Niko said.

"Sounds like bullshit to me." Maki replied.

"Gaah! You and your logical thinking. Why can't you appreciate myths when you are now living in a magical world!" Niko said.

But before Maki was able to respond, her phone began ringing.

"Ah…" she quickly picked up her phone.

"Rin, what's up?" she greeted her caller.

Niko tried to listen in to the conversation, though it was too hard to hear the voice in the phone. Once the red haired girl finished, she took the chance to ask properly.

"What's up?"

"Rin said that Hanayo is coming back tonight so she asked me to prepare Beat in Angel for her. Hanayo doesn't want a long ride tonight since she is too tired and can't wait to lay down on her own beloved bed." Maki said.

"Oh, is that so? Then, maybe I should prepare a boxed dinner, huh?"

"Yeah, I bet she'd want to eat them. Your cooking is like this Village's special." Maki said.

"Pfft, you are still calling this place as a 'Village?' How late are you?" Niko said as she began to prepare the meal.

"Heh, can't be helped. I can't believe that this place could grow this huge in such a short time." Maki said.

"True that. I would blame that specific couple and those three idiots." Niko said.

"Three idiots?" Maki squinted.

"Wouldn't that be you, Honoka, and Rin?" she continued.

"Oh come on! We didn't make that much trouble! Honest! Those three are more troublesome! Remember the time when Kotori made cheesecake that makes anyone fly?"

"Yeah, but that's your fault. You were about to steal a piece and accidentally spilled it all over the floor. Honoka teamed up with you because you forced her to, then you two somehow got an idea to just throw it in the pig pen and, the next day, you got flying pigs which Rin released. I still remember how we got dead pig rain at night. One of them broke Nozomi's roof, fell in her bedroom and she went nuts on the three of you."

"G-gh… well, what about that day when Kotori made a vial of oil?"

"You mean the oil that was meant for erotic purposes?'

"N-No… not that one, I don't want to remember what I saw that day."

"Yeah, I know. You saw a—…"

"M-Maki! It was the oil that can hasten any kind of engine!"

"Oh! You mean that one day where you drove your brand new car to Umi's Anemone Heart? I still remember the look on her face. She was totally about to kill you!"

"I didn't know that the oil does that! I ran out of oil and I asked Honoka to get one for me!"

"Yea uh, and the thing about that oil is, it's mine. I told Rin to keep it for me since I was about to replace my Beat in Angel's oil tank. But it looks like she shared it with her after all!"

"Well then! What about that day when Kotori couldn't stop zapping everyone with her magic power? That can't be my fault!"

"Nope, Rin confessed to me. In the morning, you and Rin went to her Atelier to look for medicines. Honoka was in charge of the atelier's cleanliness and you two decided to help her but accidentally broke some unfinished medicine. Then you—without any single knowledge about alchemy—decided to try and re-create the unfinished medicine and, with Rin as your look out, Honoka was in charge of getting the ingredients for you. Turns out you made a medicine that activates peoples' magic powers while it was supposed to be Kotori's sleeping medicine."

"Ggghh! Rin! Why did you even have to confess to you?!"

"Because she thought it was fun! Umi, Nozomi and I were so worked up that night trying to stop Kotori from Zapping everyone… and you also made Eli the main victim of that night's incident!"

"Fine! I suppose I don't have any example of incident caused by those three! But heh, anyway, why is Eli always the easy target for electricity? I thought she was already non-cyborg."

The red haired girl averted her eyes.

"You know, Niko. For a soldier, a wound is a mark of pride. The wound that hurts us most is the wound that we want to keep until our death. Eli, Umi, and I grew up as soldiers and each of us have our own wounds that we hide but are also proud of at the same time." She said.

"Really? I thought Eli really hates her wound, she even got her body re-made." Niko said.

"Is she really a hundred percent human right now? Her body may look like it, but that human skin can't deceive my eyes. Her bones are still made of metal and her right arm muscles are still made of rubber and bronze. She is just re-shaped to look like an ordinary human." Maki said.

"Huh? How did you know that? Do you have any technology to detect that?" Niko asked.

Maki sighed at her question.

"Well, Niko. You are a good secret keeper, right? I'll show you something, but keep it to yourself. Only Umi, Eli and I know about this." She said.

"Huh, alright?" Niko nodded.

By the time the agreement was sealed, Maki placed her hand on her own neck, then she rubbed her fingers up to her jaw, peeling a skin, then uncovered her half-mechanical face. Niko can see that the mechanical part continued down to her neck, though it was covered with the rubber skin that looks realistic. The other face that still looked the same like her very well-known face looks a lot more lively, yet it appeared to be stained with something glossy… like sweat.

"Y-Y-Your face….!?" Niko smirked.

"Heh, guessed that you will give me that reaction." Maki said before she covered her face with her fake skin again.

Come to think of it. Niko believes that she has thought about asking that question before… about how Maki's head is so strong. Now she knows that Maki is a cyborg too but has never shown that part of her.

"What the hell happened to your head?" Niko asked.

"It was a lethal poison injected right into my neck by an assassin from another planet. My parents saved me back then. It was what forced them to continue their research on how to create a mechanical body part to fit with the human body." Maki explained as she tidied up her fake skin.

"O...Oh… I see."

"But really, if I wasn't about to die back then, my parents won't be so motivated to work on that project. I feel lucky to be able to have this, other than because I began to be able to see what was inside other's body, I also feel a lot safer. I would never feel pain on my head when I hit something rough—on the metal part of course. I also learned about the power of Parent's love which makes everything possible." Maki said.

"Heh, you are right. A parent's love is magical. I miss my family now. Maybe I should pay them a visit tomorrow." Niko said.

"What about next week? Hanayo is going to be here tonight, I bet she will want to stay with everyone here."

"Now that you mentioned her, have you prepared Beat in Angel?" Niko asked.

"Heh, don't sweat about that. Beat in Angel is always ready to dash as long as there's no one who messed with it."

"Well, I didn't mess with it so I guess you are ready, huh?"

* * *

Kotori's Atelier, nighttime;

The place is tidy and the sound of the boiling liquid inside the cauldron is the music in the calm night. Umi silently sat on the sofa in the middle of her daily reading, Kotori is on the other side of the room diligently sewing a fashionable item with her discerning eyes locked on the design that she made herself— a cool, soldier-inspired fashion with Umi as the model.

A moment later, Honoka came in to the atelier with black and blue liquid-stained clothes. When she walked in and tried to sneak to the bathroom, Umi turned to look at her.

"Honoka, why do you smell funny?"

"A… ahahaha, I just finished cleaning something in the garage." Honoka replied.

"Really? Did you touch my Anemone Heart?"

"Uhh…I did, but I only cleaned it up." the ginger girl replied.

"Then, did you touch Garden of Glass?" Umi frowned slightly.

"No-no-no, not a chance. I wouldn't try to mess with that." Honoka replied.

"Then, you touched Beat in Angel?"

"A little, but I didn't do anything to it! I swear! Everything is perfect! Nothing is wrong with that one."

"Hmm… you don't sound very reassuring, so I'll make sure tomorrow." Umi said.

"T-Tomorrow? Alright." Honoka replied before she quickly ran to the bathroom.

"Hmmph, Honoka. She should be glad that I gave her a chance to fix it until tomorrow." Umi said before she returned to her reading.

Just about half a minute later, Umi could hear the sound of the garage door opening. She quickly jumped off her seat and ran out of the Atelier.

"Oh my god!" Umi exclaimed. Kotori quickly followed to go out of the Atelier.

"What's wrong, Umi-chan?" Kotori asked.

The two became witnesses to Beat in Angel's dispatch as it soared up to the sky and dashed off so quickly.

"I have to go!" Umi quickly ran back in to the Atelier—probably to get her key and head to the garage.

While Kotori was still dumbfounded by the events, she also took her time to look at her surroundings. Her eyes were immediately set on a familiar tall blonde woman with bright wings who is standing right in front of Nozomi's house. She looked like she was about to knock on the door, but decided not to. She is also carrying a small metal box that looks like it used to be a part of something. She took out a necklace-like object and hung it on the door's knob. She finally knocked on the door but she disappeared into lights instantly after that.

She wonders what that might be and she wanted to know more about it but…

"Kotori! Please come with me!" Umi said as she pulled her back in to the atelier and closed the door.

* * *

The Toujou residence;

Two cups of hot Chocolate Milk were served on the counter and a bright white light is shining right above the room. Two small bowls of pink yoghurt with sliced strawberries sits inside the cold fridge, and the soft night wind blew through the open window and made the blue curtains flutter.

A tall blonde is walking down the stairs wearing pajamas while a partially clothed purplenette followed right behind her. The purplenette had her hair down and, though she usually had straight hair, since her lover asked her to braid her hair, it was always wavy now.

"Ericchi, are you going to get the door?" asked the purplenette.

"Yes, why don't you get your jacket, Nozomi? You might have to meet with our guest." the blonde replied.

"Just ring the bell if you think I have to do that. Give me about two minutes to prepare." Nozomi said.

"You got it." Eli replied as she walked to the living room.

Nozomi walked to the kitchen counter and placed both of the hot chocolate cups on a tray. She then took the yoghurt out of the fridge and placed them on the same tray. Carefully, she transported the tray to the dining table and sat on her dining seat as she scanned the room to look for her jacket.

She found it on the hanger and it looks just as clean as it should be. She waited for a minute yet Eli didn't sound the bell. After a while, the blonde returned holding a familiar necklace in her hand.

"Nozomi, it was just a delivery. I don't know who might have sent it, but this is the treasure that I was looking for." she said.

"Isn't that… my amulet?" Nozomi asked.

"Yes, I kept it in my mechanical hand's socket back then. I've always-always treasured it, but ever since I changed my body and my former hand was remodeled, I lost this necklace. It's like losing the important person in my life." Eli replied.

"Sheesh, I'm right here and in a way better version. You don't need _that_ child me." Nozomi said.

"I can see that. But like I said before, I'm going to treasure it." Eli replied as she wore the amulet around her neck.

"Stubborn Ericchi." Nozomi pouted at her.

When the blonde sat down in front of her, for some reason, Nozomi couldn't take her eyes off the necklace. A quick flashback came up to her mind about where that amulet used to be. The fair bright skin might be not as bright as her lover's white skin, but she knows so well about who wore it before her lover did. She remembers a braided purple hair is next to it and a specific cleavage that looks so similar to her lover's cleavage. She remembers there was something else near that long braided hair, but what was it?

A vision of a fair young woman with differently colored eyes cuddled her gently, singing a song that she began to recall. A song with familiar words as it's lyrics.

_If…_

_We never met, if I had never known you at all…._

"Let's eat!" Eli's playful remark snapped her out of her flashback. The blonde immediately took her yoghurt bowl and hot chocolate milk.

"Ah! You forgot the spoon again!" Eli said as she quickly picked up her bowl and walked away.

"Whoops, sorry! Totally didn't remember a thing about it!" Nozomi replied.

Now that she thinks about it, it's no use for her to brood over the past. The present is here and she couldn't feel happier than she is right now. A person who she met few years ago is now her life partner, even though she and her lover haven't yet walked to the altar to be formally bound with each other.

Truth to be told, it doesn't matter to her. Eli is her life partner and she will love her more than she loves herself right now.

Suddenly, arms embraced her from behind and in those arms were connected to hands holding a bowl of yogurt and a two spoons.

"You don't like me wearing the amulet?" a gentle voice asked.

"It's not like that." Nozomi replied.

"You looked like you were thinking about something though." Eli said.

"I was just… reminded of someone who used to wear that amulet before." Nozomi replied.

"Well, I've never known this amulet's history since I only found it next to your dirty laundry, after all." Eli said as she scooped a spoonful of her yoghurt and ate it.

"My mother used to wear that amulet around her neck… it always hung right above her breast cleavage too." Nozomi said.

Eli looks slightly jumped. She then placed the bowl of yoghurt down then placed one spoon in her bowl and the other in Nozomi's bowl. After that, she walked away while taking off her amulet.

"Why are you taking it off?" Nozomi asked.

Eli didn't respond as she approached the nearby cupboard and placed the amulet somewhere in there.

"Ericchi?" Nozomi called her once again.

"Sorry, I was being insensitive." the blonde said as she returned to her seat then pulled her bowl closer again.

"It's fine, Ericchi. It's in the past and she will never come back. There's no use for me to brood over that." Nozomi replied.

"Still, knowing about your mother's death… I don't want you to remember that traumatic event anymore. It's too cruel and brutal, even for a soldier like me." Eli said as she took a spoonful of her yoghurt.

"I've moved on. You are the only person in my mind right now. Even if you wear that amulet on your neck, I will never cry about her anymore." Nozomi replied.

"Mmmmhh! This Strawberry yoghurt is so delicious!" Eli said, obviously trying to change the topic.

"You are oversensitive." Nozomi said.

"I wonder how Hanayo's farm always produces the best of the best. It has to do something with her secret technique, right?" Eli said.

"There's no secret technique." Nozomi said. She gave up on the previous topic.

"Nice, so… since we're both awake and snacking right now, why don't we go somewhere as well? My Garden of Glass is always ready to take you to any place around the galaxy!" Eli said.

"I'm not interested in traveling out of the planet right now, so if there's anywhere you think is good, please just take me somewhere fun."

"Back to the bedroom then?"

"That place is fun, but I don't think I want to take Garden of Glass there. Think about something else." Nozomi said.

"Then, what about to Pure Love Lens lake? That place is legendary."

"Sounds good to me. Take me there."

* * *

The City, night time;

The night is quiet and the dim yellow light is shining all over the city streets with only some people walking outside. The building that has always housed the earth's leader are always kept secure by standing guards and a few patrollers.

"Can you believe it, Rin-chan? Can you!? Can you!?" a short haired brunette cried.

"Hehe, Kayo-chin, you are just over-thinking about it-nya!" Rin replied.

"But I swear I didn't do anything like that! I swear that I never play with the numbers in the bank! It's naturally like that! I don't even know how someone could play with the numbers in the bank! They accused me of corruption without proof!"

"That just sounds like politics nya! You just need to sit somewhere to get dirty-nya." Rin said

"Even though I would play in filth for a hectare of rice field, I wouldn't touch people's money. I don't need money! I have got enough for myself in the farm! I want to go home already!" Hanayo continued to cry.

"But at least many people seemed to trust you back there. Those who accused you seemed to lose bitterly too-nya." Rin said.

"Really?"

"Yep, Really! I saw it in their eyes-nya!" Rin said.

"Thank you, Rin-chan. But seriously, I feel so exhausted. I just want to go home and roll on my sheets. I hate politics so much, why do I have to do this? Why can't someone else do this? Maybe we should call Miss Terra to help us?"

"Hehe, but, Miss Terra is busy with her own business. She told me before she went missing-nya." Rin said.

"She told you before she went missing?"

"Yep, she said that she needs to do something very important-nya. She also told me to not tell anyone before she returned and since she already returned a few hours ago, I'm free to tell anyone-nya." Rin said.

"I wonder what she was doing." Hanayo said.

"Hehe, who knows-nya. Probably related to Gullveig-nya?" Rin said.

"Maybe. Gullveig and Miss Terra are so close to each other, it almost feels like they are in a relationship." Hanayo said.

"But, isn't Gullveig married-nya?" Rin asked.

"She was divorced from her husband after resurrecting him. Now Eli-chan's father got on the pirate ship again to roam the galaxies , this time, with Alisa-chan on board."

"Eeeeh? Alisa-chan became a pirate?"

"Hehe, not really. She's just tagging along so that she can gain more expertise in archeology."

"Ooh… That sounds fun-nya. Traveling around the galaxies _and_ protected by pirates." Rin said.

Suddenly, a call came in to Rin's phone.

"Aaah! Maki-chan! Are you nearby?-nya" Rin asked cheerfully.

"Yeah! Niko will throw the ladder. Wait on your spot. I can see you in my radar." Maki replied.

"Thank goodness! I'm going home!" Hanayo said in relief.

A few seconds later, a blazing, slim, red spaceship stopped right above them. Niko opened the door and threw the pole ladder for the two.

"Get on board! We are going back to Koizumi farm within minutes!" Niko said.

"Ahooyy-nyaa!" Rin replied cheerfully before she and Hanayo quickly accepted the ladder.

The two got up to the ship then Niko pulled back the rope ladder and closed the door. Maki has upgraded the passenger seats into three seats so each of the girls were able to sit there nicely.

"Aaah! Maki-chan! Thank you sooo much for picking me up. I can't imagine if I have to endure my homesickness for more than a day on a car ride." Hanayo said.

"Heh, no problem. We haven't told your workers since Niko said she wants to try and surprise them sometime." Maki said as she began to operate her ship and rotated to return to the farm.

"Hehe, that's fine! I'd like to see how it would go too!" Hanayo said.

"Alright, hold on tight now. I'll dash to the farm." Maki said.

"Ok!" Hanayo, Rin, and Niko replied cheerfully.

The ship moved normally as if there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

"Now-now, Hanayo. I've prepared something for you." Niko said.

"Ooooh! Right-nya! We've been wanting to do this!" Rin said.

"What is it?" Hanayo asked curiously.

"Hehehe, it's this!" Niko pushed a part of Beat in Angel's ceiling, opened a button panel and pressed one of the buttons.

Suddenly, a rice cooker appeared from the back wall, slowly moving toward Hanayo's seat while a table appeared from the floor. Everything is set perfectly into a portable dining table with a rice cooker on the other table.

"Huh? Since when did my ship have that function?" Maki asked.

"Hehehe, I planned it with Rin long ago. Don't worry, everything should be perfect, I got the blueprint checked by Eli, you know." Niko said.

"Well, that's very reassuring, but you should just have told me, you know. I could have helped you set it up." Maki said.

"Don't worry! Don't worry! I'm an expert on engines too!" Niko sang confidently.

"Ah, what about the other meal, Niko-chan? Did you cook it-nya?" Rin asked.

"Of course I did! I prepared them after you called Maki!" Niko replied as she pulled out a boxed dinner out of the storage near the Pilot's engine.

"You made a storage too? That's actually something nice, but did you keep some drinks for me?" Maki asked.

"Yep, of course!" Niko said as she pointed to the bottles inside storage.

"We also made a portable kitchen in your ship-nya!" Rin said.

"Yeah! But the ultimate surprise for you is this!" Niko said as she pressed another button on the ceiling panel.

But nothing happened…

"What…? What is the ultimate surprise here?" Maki asked.

"Hnnng… Looks like Honoka didn't do her job properly…" Niko said.

"Uh… try again-nya?" Rin asked.

Niko pressed the button once again.

A screen showed up right in front of Maki's face.

"T-The heck? Why is it so close to her face?!" Niko complained.

_Starting auto-pilot…._

A robotic voice was heard from the speaker.

"A-Auto Pilot?! Where to?!" Maki asked in her surprise.

_Destination: Terra Mothership._

"T-Terra?!" Everyone shouted.

"H-How do we stop this?!" Niko said.

"I-I don't know-nya! No one set that function-nya!" Rin said.

"P-put that aside! Just get the space suit! We all will die without it!" Maki said.

"A-aren't the space suits currently being washed in Kotori-chan's Atelier-nya?" Rin said.

"Huuh!?"

* * *

Not so far from Beat in Angel.

Anemone Heart has been watching from a distance. Umi is driving the ship as Kotori sat next to her as co-pilot while Honoka sat on the passenger's seat.

"Looks like there's nothing wrong with Beat in Angel after all." Kotori said.

Honoka sighed in relief.

"We can't say that yet. We have to see if they can return to the farm safely." Umi said.

"Hehe, alright, Umi-chan. Let's wait a little longer." Kotori said.

Just right after she finished her sentence, a call came on Umi's phone and Umi quickly accepted it.

"Maki, what's up?" Umi asked.

"U-Umi, where are you?!" Maki asked in panic. She can also hear the others' panicked screams in the background.

"I'm nearby, do you need anything?" Umi asked.

"Y-You are? Why can't my radar detect you? But anyway! My ship started an autopilot function and I can't stop it! This ship is about to go to Terra!" Maki said.

"W-what? Get your spacesuit!" Umi said.

"Uuh…Umi-chan. All of our spacesuits are currently being washed in my Atelier, remember?" Kotori said.

"Y-You are right! Then, I'll stop your ship, Maki! Don't stand too close to the door, I might have to break your wings with my ship's arm and canon!" Umi said while Honoka seemed to be pale when she heard what she just said.

"W-Whatever works as long as we all live in the end!"

* * *

Inside The Garden of Glass;

Eli flew her ship towards Pure Love Lens Lake as Nozomi sat on the special seat right next to her, gently cleaning her beloved glove.

"You know why I accepted your invitation to Pure Love Lens lake, Ericchi?" Nozomi asked.

"Because your Glove's Gem need replacement?" Eli replied with a gentle smile.

"Correct, it's already in critical condition so it won't function as it should. I always wanted to go here but we were always busy with the shop so, yep, it had to wait."

"Well, you could go to the Pure Love Lens Lake by yourself later and drive this ship sometime… you are more than allowed."

"What is 'more than allowed'? You can't go more than allowed! Its only allowed or not allowed! Silly Ericchi!"

Eli only giggled in response.

"But anyway, Ericchi, did you know that this glove is my greatest treasure? Even though it's no longer my father's creation, it's your creation and I love it so much. Whenever I go to a battle with this glove, I feel like I could beat anything." Nozomi said.

"Of course I knew that, honey." Eli replied with a teasing wink.

Suddenly, a phone call came on Eli's phone. Nozomi quickly picked it up for her.

"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!" Hanayo's loud voice was heard.

"Hanayo-chan, what's up?" Nozomi asked.

"MAKI-CHAN! WHOOSH! MALFUNCTIONING! UMI-CHAN! ARM! CHOP! PEW-PEW! BOOM! ON FIRE! SAVE ME!" Hanayo shouted.

"Ok, that was a nice story. Have fun." Nozomi said.

"Nozomi-chan!"

"Yes?"

Nozomi waited for Hanayo to take a deep breath.

"M-Maki-chan's ship is malfunctioning! Then Umi-chan came to help! But her ship's arm came off and her canon exploded! Now Part of her ship is on fire while she is still trying to stop us from dashing out of the planet! HELP!" She finally explained.

"That sounds… chaotic…" Nozomi said.

"PLEASE HELP!" Hanayo yelled.

"Ericchi! Find Maki-chan's ship! She should be somewhere around the City!" Nozomi yelled at Eli.

"H-huh? Ok."

* * *

Back to where Beat in Angel and Anemone Heart are;

The struggle is real and they are already too far from the City, as well. The red ship keeps dashing out of the planet while the blue ship is partially on fire. Kotori was occupied with setting up a shield to prevent the fire from reaching another part of the ship and Umi is occupied with holding onto the arm that came while Honoka is on the driver's seat trying to stop the red ship from going farther. Maki is on her ship's wing, gripping onto the arm that is attached to her wings. Rin is on the driver seat as Hanayo is trying to use her nature magic power to slow down their movement, while Niko is trying to find out a way to stop the autopilot.

"Gggghhhh! Hang in there, Umi!" Maki said as she struggled to keep the arm attached.

"I am!" Umi said as she continued in her struggle to pull.

Just a minute later, The Garden of Glass arrived.

"Eli! Thank goodness!" Umi said excitedly.

"Eli, please save us!" Maki said.

"No problem!" Eli said as she drove the Garden of Glass to the front of Beat in Angel and push it to the opposite direction. She then left the driver's seat to Nozomi before she went out from her door, then she hopped on to Beat in Angel and approached Niko.

"Eli, these systems are a lot different from your blueprint. Can you still fix it?" Niko asked.

"Here-here, let me look." Eli said as she started to look at the engines.

"What a mess! Who made this?! I don't even know which cable is which!" Eli said.

"I told you it's very different from your Blueprint." Niko said.

"I'll just pull everything off then." Eli said before she pulled all the cables. It turned Beat in Angel off.

The ship is off and, this time, only Garden of Glass and Anemone Heart can fly. Maki and Umi remained in their places to make sure that Beat in Angel won't fall to the ground. Honoka is still pulling but with lesser energy while Nozomi switched the arm placement to make sure that Beat in Angel wouldn't fall.

"Should've thought of that before. You are really brilliant, Eli." Niko said.

"It's not like you can do that anyway, these cables are pretty tough." Eli said.

"Hah, true." Niko replied.

"Maki, Umi, can you switch the arm positions? We are going to carry Beat in Angel back to our village." Eli said.

"Can we decrease the number of people on this ship first?" Maki asked.

"Good point. Hanayo, Rin, Niko, can all three of you move somewhere else?" Eli asked.

"Yeah-nya!" Rin replied cheerfully.

Hanayo nodded before she summoned a big owl outside the ship. She, Rin, and Niko hopped on it.

"Honestly, I don't really want to use a familiar since I'm pretty tired and I could lose control anytime soon." Hanayo said.

"Just hang in there, ok?" Eli replied.

"Then, what about you, Kotori?" Umi asked. Kotori is still trying to put her shield up and, at the same time, use wind to blow off the fire.

"Nozomi, a little help here!" Eli said.

Nozomi tried to look at the condition. After she understood the situation, she used her glove to control the fire and take it off the ship. The Fire stopped and Kotori stopped using her magic as well.

"Haaah… I'm very tired. I haven't take any breaks since this morning…" Kotori said.

"Then get on Hanayo's familiar. Maybe you can swap with her if needed." Eli said.

"Hehe, that's the plan!" Kotori said before she went out of the ship to hop in to Beat in Angel before she hop off again to Hanayo's big owl.

Maki and Umi switched the Anemone Heart's broken arm position. Now it's right under the body of Beat in Angel.

"Looks like we are ready to go now. Honoka, Nozomi! Drive to the farm, I'll navigate for you two!" Eli said. Honoka and Nozomi gave her a thumbs up to tell her that they are ready to do what she asked.

A few kilometers passed and everything went smoothly and according to the plan.

"Haaah, looks like this chaos is finally over!" Niko said.

"I'm sorry, it's all because I wanted to return quickly." Hanayo said.

"Nah, it's not your fault, Hanayo. It's these people who didn't even get their modifications right!" Maki said.

"B-but, they did it for me. Please forgive them." Hanayo said.

"Heh, since you are the one who asked, I guess we can say that we will give them a little mercy." Maki said.

"It's strange though, how could my Anemone Heart's arm come off? I swear it has survived worse impacts before. Plus the exploding canons are also unexpected." Umi said.

"I don't know-nyaaa! Maybe you lost a few screws?" Rin said somewhat sarcastically.

"O-oi! Should I spell out what you did too?!" Niko said.

"So you DID something to their ships after all!" Maki said.

"I swear I'm going to replace it tomorrow!" Niko said.

"Hehehe! Niko-chan is a bad girl-nya!" Rin said playfully.

"Niko… why didn't you take the screws in the tool box? I have them inside the Garden of Glass." Eli said.

"I used them all already." Niko said.

"Ah, so that's why." Eli replied.

"Next time, just tell us if you want to do a modification. We will certainly do it for you." Umi said.

"I'm sorry." Niko said sadly.

"E-Everyone… please, don't blame her anymore. She did it for me!" Hanayo said.

"We don't. Don't worry. We were just telling her to ask if she needs anything. It's been a few years of us being together and we are no longer strangers." Umi said.

"Yeah, she is right. Don't be afraid to ask. We will try our best to get it done." Maki said.

"Plus, shouldn't we all be happy? These kinds of troubles keep us all together." Eli said teasingly.

Umi chuckled sweetly.

"You are right, we are always in this kind of trouble and it's what keeps us together. I'm really glad to have troublemakers in our family." she said.

"Umi-chan, your chuckle is so mesmerizing, please do that more often." Kotori said.

"T-there! Kotori!" Umi replied with a blush on her cheeks.

"Hehe, I have to agree. Maki-chan, Umi-chan, and Eli-chan's voices are so mesmerizing, we rarely hear you all giggling, chuckling or laughing." Hanayo said.

"Really? I hear Ericchi's giggles and laughter everyday. It's so annoying sometimes." Nozomi said.

"Aaah, Lucky-Lucky Nozomi-chan!" Rin said teasingly.

"Right uh? Nozomi and Eli rarely hang out with us. You two are always busy in the repair shop in the day, then at night, you two would already be out of reach." Niko said.

"That's probably Ericchi's fault. She always nags me to get in bed after a long work day." Nozomi said.

"The smell of Nozomi's sweat is refreshing." Eli said confidently.

"How Shameless!" Umi said.

"Is that a sarcasm Ericchi? You throw me into the bathroom tub everyday and complain about how smelly I am!"

"Ah, right. I remember that day you suddenly ask us to help you repair the bathtub. Did you literally throw her in there?" Maki asked.

"I wonder if it really broke because of Nozomi-chan being thrown in there? Didn't it have a dent like a meteor crashed into it?" Hanayo asked.

"Meteor? What kind of butt do you have-nya?!" Rin asked.

"Well, it wasn't my butt. It was something else." Nozomi said.

Everyone tried to think for a moment.

"Spiritual Power!" Nozomi shouted playfully.

"Ooooohhhh!" everyone nodded before they began to laugh—except for Umi who decided to facepalm.

"Oi now, everyone. Please save your energy. We can't keep joking around until we reach the farm!" Niko said, followed by everyone's agreement yet it was once again followed by their laughter.

* * *

Terra's mothership, Leader's room;

Miss Terra finished her meeting with the Police. She sighed softly before she standing up to head to her luxurious bedroom.

"Heidr." a familiar voice called her.

The fully armored woman stopped.

"What's up, Gullveig?" she replied.

"I said 'Hello' to your daughter." Gullveig said.

"Did she say anything in return?" Heidr asked.

"She already moved on, looks like she is taking a shine on my daughter too much." Gullveig said.

"That's how it's supposed to be." Heidr replied with a gentle smile.

"What if she said that so that she can hide her feelings? My daughter is a fool so she wouldn't be able to know about another's feelings unless that person tells her directly." Gullveig said.

"What about you? Do you know how I feel?" Heidr asked.

Gullveig was surprised to hear it.

"What if… I said it so that you can stop nagging me about my daughter?"

"Liar." Gullveig said.

"Whatever. There's no more bond between us. She lives her own life, I live my own life."

"And yet you were complaining when I abandoned my daughter."

"I didn't complain about that anymore, so it would be nice if you stop about my daughter as well."

"Are you really going to let your daughter get stuck with the worst memory about you? If you show yourself to her, she can at least find herself at peace when thinking about you."

"And what of it? Will that really do anything at all?"

"I don't want her to have those memories! It was that damned Lenora's fault. I was hoping to let her see how wonderful you are. I want her to see that you are a very capable woman and I want her to be proud of you. That's why I told those morons to not touch her and having fun with you… and by 'fun,' I meant 'to be slaughtered by you,' not the opposite! Alas! I impaled those men who admitted taking part in touching you! I killed them all mercilessly!"

"Why did you do that? Was there any benefit out of it?" Heidr asked with her voice remaining unchanged. She always sounded so calm and gentle behind that mask.

"I wanted you to stop feeling guilty. I knew that it was a misunderstanding on my part. I knew that I've wounded everyone's feelings that day. I slaughtered those who poured their love to us for so many years. I didn't think that far when I was burnt by the jealousy. I knew that it was all my fault." Gullveig explained.

The fully armored woman was once again silent.

"Heidr, I want you to know that I wasn't angry with you. You have not sinned against me at all. I wasn't angry with anyone at all. I was… hoping that everyone will hate me. I wanted my daughter to hate me and I wanted your daughter to hate me. I wanted their friends to hate me…. but most importantly, I wanted you to hate me. I am no one to love. I'm just a cold-blooded murderer. That's why, when you came to me that day, when you said that I could've killed you instead of everyone around me, I couldn't… because you are the most important person to me. I didn't realize that you were just trying to save me from that disease. You tried so hard to stop me from becoming a psychopathic being and even offered your womb to someone you didn't love. "

"Yet all that was in vain, right? I was secretly enjoying my life as a mother. But, now that it's over, I feel like living my life as a free woman. We are already even. You brought me back to life in your own way while I saved you from that universe with my own way. I have no more guilt with you and, as I said, I have no more bond with my daughter as well. Please stop this conversation already before you see me in another face." this time, the calm woman's voice slightly changed.

They both are quiet for a moment when Gullveig pulled her phone out of her spacesuit. She is looking at the clock that seemed to be set on earth time.

"If that makes you hate me, then I should do it." she said.

"Why are you so obsessed with being hated? Don't you want to be loved sometime? By me especially?"

"I told you, I don't need your love anymore. All I want you to do is to show up to your daughter and give her the impression of how amazing you are. She needs to be proud of you, not scarred for life because of you!"

Then suddenly, a massive fist of shadow appeared from the floor and punched the bright-winged blonde to the ground.

"Gullveig! I warned you to stop being a stubborn mule. I don't want to meet my daughter and that's that! You know nothing about my feelings!" the fully armored woman replied.

Suddenly, a flash of light zapped and hit the other woman down to the ground.

"If this is what needs to be done, then so be it. May we fight eternally." Gullveig said.

And right after that, Gullveig scattered into lights and snatched the woman who tried to escape through the shadow. The room became empty all of a sudden as those two disappeared.

* * *

The Village, nighttime;

The girls have returned to their own homes and the ships were left broken for the night as none of them was awake enough to fix it. Hanayo's return was indeed a surprise for the workers, though they can't celebrate it yet since Hanayo is too tired for anything that night.

As an alternative for not being able to make an immediate celebration, the workers decided to prepare everything that were needed to repair broken ships—from the fuel down to the parts. They placed it right inside the garage nicely and some of the workers even cleaned the ships without taking off any broken part from it.

The stable is quiet as usual with three Sleipnirs sleeping quietly as their half empty water buckets were placed right in front of them. The light in Kotori's atelier turned off while the boiling water inside the cauldron remained along with the small fire. Honoka, Kotori, and Umi are sleeping deeply in their own rooms.

At the Inn, Hanayo, Maki, Rin, and Niko ended up sleeping in Hanayo's room since they were playing some card games before they fell asleep. There were also some leftover snacks and drinks scattered on the floor, as well as some of the cards, and a monopoly box shoved under the bed as if they've given up on playing it.

At the Tojou residence, the night lamp is the only light shining upon the dark room. While the blonde preferred having more than half of her body uncovered, the purplenette liked to drown herself in the blanket.

It was a long night for them and they truly needed to take a break from all the mess that happened. A few hours passed as they rested and the night has gone darker and darker until the clock inside the Inn's lobby echoed.

A powerful presence passed across the village and the three mages woke up from their slumber, surprised that they can feel the presence even at a state when their awareness is at its weakest.

Three of them decided to confirm the village's condition and they would have awakened the soldiers or their allies, but not until they are sure about the situation. Each of them walked out of their shelters.

"Nozomi-chan?"

"Kotori-chan?"

"Hanayo-chan?"

They called each other's names.

"So it wasn't just me…" they said in the same time.

"What is that powerful presence?" they continued at the same time as the gestured in thought.

The wind suddenly blew harshly and this is a bad sign for them. Hanayo tried to listen to the voices in her environment and Nozomi tried to look through the darkness of the night while Kotori tried to sense through the energy in the air. The powerful presence was emitting energy throughout the school of magic and, a second after they set their eyes on the school building, a massive dark cloud and a dome of light appeared.

"The School?" Hanayo wondered.

"Looks like there's something happening in there, we need to find out. Maybe there are some students trying to summon something again." Nozomi said.

"Uh, have you replaced your glove, Nozomi-chan?" Kotori asked.

"I haven't. Do you have any?" Nozomi asked.

"I do, actually I've been wanting you to try it for me. I've done a little enchantment with it." Kotori said.

"Then, please give me that and some energy reliever potions."

"I only have four in stock. It won't be enough for us all." Kotori said.

"Then, Hanayo take one, you take one, and I take two of them. I'll be going with Ericchi while you try to create the rest of potions for everyone and Hanayo will assist with anything they want to bring there. Please don't take too much time… we may only be able to stall this presence until morning." Nozomi said.

"Understood." Kotori and Hanayo replied.

* * *

The School of Magic, Night time;

"Principal Minami! You were right! We just caught two magic units!" said a student as they stared at the crystal ball on the podium.

"Hmm… just like what the tree said." the woman with dark grey colored hair said. She is in a formal uniform with her Valkyrie wings stowed.

"But what should we do next?" another student asked.

"Hmmmm… No idea." Principal Minami replied.

"Eeehhh…!? W-what if they break out of the crystal ball? You said they are dangerous, right?" another student asked again.

"Hmmmmmm…. What should I do….?" Principal Minami said as she went into her thinking mode.

"Principal Minami! Please don't think after your actions! It's supposed to be the other way around!"

"it's not like I didn't think about it. I thought of something back then, but I can't recall it."

"Uhh… what if we just call someone? Nozomi sensei perhaps?" said a student.

"She should be at her home, right? The repair shop?" said another student.

"Yeah. She also lives with her… assistant?" the other student replied

"Ahh… now that you mention her, I think we truly need to call her." Principal Minami said.

"P-Principal Minami! We already said that!"

"Well then, please welcome them to this very room!" Principal Minami gestured to the door.

"We didn't—….!"

And before the students finished their words, Nozomi and Eli broke into the room on their Sleipnir. Both of them are wearing their space battle suit, which is actually specially designed to be able to adjust with both the earth and space's atmosphere.

"N-Nightmare! Stop! Stop! I said stop!" Nozomi tried to stop her Sleipnir from running.

The familiar finally stopped right in front of Principal Minami.

"Good job students. Extra grades for you!" Principal Minami said.

"We didn't call her yet…" a student said.

The other student quickly hit him.

"Ouch!'

"I mean… Ahaha.. yes, thank you, principal Minami." said the student again.

"So, what is this all about now?" Nozomi asked as she and Eli jumped down from their Sleipnir.

"I just gathered these students to help me transport a massive energy to this crystal ball. The old tree said that we needed to capture it. He also said that I need to transport it somewhere but, without my Valkyrie Companions, I can't do it. Plus, I need to take care of this school. We are preparing for a festival of magic tomorrow."

"Is that so? Then we are just here to transport this crystal ball to…?" Nozomi tried to confirm.

"Hmm… somewhere, duh?" Principal Minami said.

"We don't even know where to go to. We don't even know what _exactly_ is inside this crystal ball." Nozomi said.

"Maybe you can try to take it to somewhere faaaaaaaarr away like really faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarr away?" Principal Minami said.

"That's…. very… specific of you." Eli commented.

"Maybe we should bring this thing to The End of Sorrow." Nozomi said.

"You are right, that place is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar away and I bet it has enough space for us to battle too." Eli said.

"That's a good idea, but you need to take that thing there in 10 minutes. The crystal is only be able to hold that power for 40 minutes and it's already been 30 minutes so…"

And before Principal Minami could finish her explanation, Nozomi and Eli quickly jumped on their Sleipnir and ran out through the window.

* * *

The Toujou residence's garage;

Umi and Maki were assigned to fix the ships with Honoka and Niko as their assistants and they are trying to work as fast as possible.

"I'm glad you are familiar with all engines parts. I was scared that I had to walk here and there by myself." Maki said as continued fixing her Beat in Angel's Cable.

"I told you we are fluent with engines. It's just that we aren't fond of Cyber Technology so we don't really understand that much about the system." Niko replied.

"Honestly though… why don't we mix the technology?" Honoka asked as she held out the tool box for Umi who was quietly fixing her Anemone Heart.

"It's a good idea, but the special thing about Cyber Technology is that they can function in a place where magic can't work or simply negate their effects, as well." Maki said.

"I have to agree with Honoka, though. I actually hope to be able to mix the two technologies for our ship. After all, we have graduated from our school and we are no longer Terra's residents." Umi said.

"Heh, you want to do that? Well, I'm not complaining but can we do it quickly? We need to get to wherever Nozomi and Eli are." Maki asked.

"That's true." Umi said a little sadly.

"I think it's fine. You have prepared the blueprints, Umi-chan. I saw them!" Honoka said.

"Yes, but I don't have the materials yet." Umi said.

"Kotori and I got them for you and even tried to make some of them. That's why I had a little trouble with the upgrade for Beat in Angel. I just forgot to do it before focusing on your blueprints." Honoka replied.

"You did that? Thank you, Honoka." Umi said somewhat happily.

"So what about you, Maki? Do you want to do it?" Niko asked.

"I didn't make any blueprints." Maki said.

"Well, if you ask me nicely, I can give you another blueprint I already made for your Beat in Angel. I even got Eli and Nozomi to check them for me. They only made a little change with it." Niko said.

"You did? That's kind of you. What about the materials, though?" Maki asked.

"Don't worry about that. Rin and Hanayo already got them for you." Niko said.

"Wow, thanks." Maki replied.

"Heh-heh-heh! Well, since you look so interested, I guess it can't be helped, huh? Here you go!" Niko pulled out a folded paper from her pocket and handed it to Maki.

The paper is full of crosses and explanation written in red ink. It looks like someone was lying about 'a little change.' because it was more like everything drawn in this picture is wrong.

"Niko, what is this?" Maki asked with a straight face.

"Oohh! My bad! Here is the correct one." Niko handed another blueprint.

This time, the sketch is redrawn and the suggestion written in a similar handwriting with the sketch despite having different writer names. Did she comment this on her own and wrote Nozomi and Eli's name in it?

"Niko, I'm questioning the credibility of this blueprint." Nozomi said.

"Just take that you jerk face!"

"It looks like you didn't ask Nozomi and Eli for the final blue print. You wrote these comments yourself, right?" Maki said.

"What the heck? How do you—… I mean! Then! Go check it with Umi or something!" Niko said.

Maki sighed before she decided to approach the other soldier.

"Umi, can you check this blueprint for me?" she asked.

Umi took the blueprint and read it for a moment.

"Hmm… This isn't Nozomi and Eli's work, is it? The math in this blueprint…. needs a lot of re-work. Perhaps you can ask the creator of this blueprint to… retry?" she said politely.

Maki took the blueprint and walk back to Niko.

"Niko, Umi said that this blueprint is as fake as you. Your math is terrible. You are an idiot."

"The heck? You made that up yourself, right?!"

"Either way, this blueprint is wrong."

"Then fix it! Don't tell me you can't make your own blueprints!"

"Heh, I guess I'll just show you, huh? I'll have to use both of these blueprints as reference to hasten my work. You order the materials, add additional 200 units on each of them. Instant delivery to here."

"Additional 200 units?! That's like 10 times the current requirement!"

"Just get it. Better have some extra than lack any materials. Here's my wallet card. You know the password." Maki said as she handed a small card case to Niko before she headed to the workbench with both blueprints.

Niko sighed at her.

"Sheesh, rich girl. You don't even think about saving."

* * *

Somewhere close to The End of Sorrow;

The couple was still riding on their Sleipnir. The crystal ball is in Eli's hand while Nozomi tried to use her magic to hasten her Sleipnir's movement.

"How much time left?" Nozomi asked.

"About 10 seconds!" Eli said.

"We can't make it! We need approximately 30 seconds!" Nozomi said.

Eli tried to think for a moment.

"If only we can use our ship, they just had to run out of fuel!" Nozomi sighed.

Now that she mentioned their ship, she also remembered a joke from their latest conversation.

"Ah! Nozomi! I got an idea!" Eli said.

"What? What is it?" Nozomi asked.

"Here…" Eli pressed the crystal ball on Nozomi's breasts.

"What should I do with it?" Nozomi asked.

"Spiritual power, use it!" Eli said.

"Oohh! You are really brilliant, Ericchi!" Nozomi said.

"Hurry!" Eli said

Nozomi nodded before she took a deep breath and…

"SPIRITUAL—…"

She charged her power.

"POWER!" and she released her power. The crystal ball launched so up high and flew extremely far away from them.

"Harasho…" Eli said as the couple watched the crystal ball falling to the ground.

"Booom…." Nozomi added the sound effect as she watched the crystal ball make a very-very soft sound of collision.

"Does that crystal ball really contain something powerful?" Eli wondered.

"Well, no explosion, so I guess our senses are mistaken." Nozomi said.

"I'd be questioning your logic, but I guess we don't need logic. Should we just call everyone about this?" Eli asked.

"Sure? I'm still energized so I think we should… you know, unleash the spiritual power in a fabulous way." Nozomi said as she turned her Sleipnir around and walked away from The End of Sorrow.

"What about doing some laundry instead? We haven't washed like… 28 pairs of clothes since last week."

"Mmm… that's a big load of laundry, Ericchi. Maybe you should start by cleaning my underwear? I hope you don't mind if it's... soaked with love."

The blonde chuckled.

"Alright, you are into that. Then we should get the '_laundry'_ done tonight. But make sure we really do the actual laundry tomorrow, ok?"

"We should close the repair shop tomorrow, Ericchi. I bet you need a lot of help on brushing the… stains of passion."

"There, Nozomi. We should save the dirty talk for the bedroom."

And as Eli finished saying it, a massive dark cloud appeared from a distance. It eventually formed into a colossal black dragon-like creature and it roared so loudly.

Nozomi and Eli quickly turned around to see what just roared behind them.

"Dragon…" Eli said.

Nozomi tried to identify the dragon, though she can't remember there's a creature like it before, not even the familiar that she knows.

The dragon has six pairs of raven feathered wings, three pairs of back horns, three pairs of furious eyes, a single line of long burn mark near the right neck, long dark purple braided hair, sharp teeth in its powerful-looking mouth, a razor tail and a pair of arms and legs on its long body.

Has she seen that dragon before?

She can't recall where she saw that dragon, but she remembers something about that dragon.

_There is no crime that goes unpunished before me…_

"Judge of Darkness…" Nozomi mumbled.

"What? What is that?" Eli asked.

"That dragon's name… is Judge of darkness."

"Huh? Where's the hammer?" Eli asked.

"Ericchi! Stop joking! You know that not every judge needs a hammer!" Nozomi said.

"So we should go there and beat him, right?" Eli asked.

"It's a she. The Judge of Darkness is a female." Nozomi said.

"She? Alright. That Dragon looks so badass. I'd ride her if I could."

"Ericchi, I swear to you that you are only allowed to ride Nightmare and me—in different context of riding of course."

"Alright, so since I'm not romantically interested with a horse, I'll romantically ride you in romantic context and the actual meaning of 'riding' with your Nightmare."

"I don't even need that explanation, silly Ericchi! Either way, let's get closer. Call the others to hurry up." Nozomi said.

"You got it, honey!" Eli replied as she pulled out her phone while Nightmare the Sleipnir began to gallop towards the dragon.

* * *

The End of Sorrow;

The dragon soared up to the sky and breathed fire towards a specific blonde who stood in the middle of the arena. She casted a shield on herself as her platinum armor and white wings brightly shone in the middle of the dark night. It's like the shield absorbed the power and converted it into light.

"You know that anything related to light will not hurt me. Why do you have to use fire?" the blonde said.

The dragon remained silent.

"Hmmph, silent, I see. You are trying to prevent revealing yourself, huh? Knowing that your daughter might still be around right now?"

The dragon squinted its eyes before it crashed down to bite the blonde woman. The white wings supported her enough to dodge the crash though, just before she realized that she is still in danger, the razor tail sliced her right arm off.

Gullveig quickly grabbed her right arm and placed it back as she casted a quick heal for herself. The dragon quickly returned with open jaws.

In a speed of light, Gullveig dodged it once again, but she didn't expect to be caught by the arm of the dragon.

With her being snatched into the air without being able to move her wings, Gullveig had to try to unleash herself from the grip. The nighttime didn't help her that much as she couldn't have better light source than herself. When she thought that she could keep up the struggle, the dragon dispersed into fog and the arm that was squeezing her turned into a chain that twisted around her body.

The grip tightened and now she can see a masked woman in black robe covering her space suit appearing from the darkness, carrying a long, slim sword and holding the chain that held her.

"I'll be happy to silence you for a few hours. Just to make sure you are not going to talk to me about it ever again." the woman said when she got close enough to the blonde before she, once again, disappeared from her vision.

"Have a good night, Gullveig!" the woman re-appeared again from above, about to thrust the sword right to her heart, but before she could reach her heart, a powerful Sword-axe parried it.

Surprised, the masked woman changed turned to face another blonde who was standing above a dark griffin. The dark griffin is certainly a familiar, though she believes it wasn't the person standing on it who summoned it… it was someone else and she is right there on her Sleipnir, Nightmare.

The masked woman didn't show her expression, but she certainly attempted to make an escape by releasing the older blonde from her grip. Before she was able to do so, Gullveig casted a magical chain from her hand and, this time, she is the one who's holding her back.

"You are not going anywhere, Heidr!" Gullveig said as loud as possible.

"Heidr…? Who's that?" Eli wondered.

The masked woman remained silent before she took out a gun and shot it. Eli quickly made her move to defend the older blonde from the attack, but the missing second is enough for the masked woman to escape to the darkness again.

Knowing she escaped, Nozomi couldn't stand still. She decided to command her Sleipnir to go into the darkness to look for the presence herself. A few seconds passed and a sound of a struggle was heard from the darkness.

Gullveig swiftly used her magical instinct to search for the sound while Eli followed her. They found Nozomi holding the hand of the masked woman. Strangely enough for them, the masked woman didn't try to use any weapon on her.

"You are not getting away! Settle your problems with her!" Nozomi said.

The masked woman remained unresponsive but was still insistent on escaping. When Gullveig got closer, she tried to say her name but, right before she could say anything, the masked woman accurately shot her neck.

"Mama!" Eli panicked. Gullveig quickly held her neck as she, once again, swiftly tried to heal herself.

When Gullveig's neck healed, she once again tried to speak.

"Heidr! You a—…" and once again, Heidr shot her neck.

"Heidr…?" Nozomi wondered. She feels like she has read that name somewhere.

"Whoever you are, you are not going to harm my mother!" Eli said angrily as she tried to swing her sword-axe on her. But her mother quickly held her while she healed herself. Nozomi swears that she has never expected this kind of sight in her entire life.

Someone who is known to be merciless—Gullveig—holding her own daughter from trying to attack someone.

Who is this person who makes Gullveig stop Eli despite having being wounded by this person over and over? The Judge of Darkness? Who is the Judge of Darkness to her? Where did she read Heidr's name before? Or perhaps, she has heard it somewhere?

All the memories in her head are vague and she can't really consider it a complete memory. But why? What have caused her to lose those memories? She knows that she is a forgetful person but she is usually able to recall things after she thinks about it hard enough. Should she try to think about it right now?

Before Nozomi could start thinking about it, the masked woman dispersed into shadows and escaped her grip. The young purplenette frowned and made a quick decision to catch up. Immediately after their move, another sound of struggle came up from the darkness once again.

"Nozomi…!" Eli began to worry.

"Eli, instead of chasing her, why don't you call your friends to help?" Gullveig asked her.

"Mama…" Eli turned to her mother.

"She can travel through darkness and, by this time of night, she can travel to anywhere around the world… and with the vessel that I made for her, she is as immortal as I am. We need to hold her with light. Create something to trap her inside. I remember there was one of your friends who could create a dome out of nature's power, but I don't recommend that for this."

"So what do you think could work to trap her?"

"Other than being a Dark Mage, she is also a mind mage and a necromancer, she can control almost anything in nature. One of the things that she can't control is metal. If your friend somehow found a way to create a metal dome, I can cooperate with them."

"Well, mama, I kind of have the idea for the dome part, but is there anything else we need to do?"

"Yes. There's one thing I want you to do."

* * *

The garage, nighttime;

The ship's upgrades are close to getting finished. This time, they have Kotori, Rin, and Hanayo helping out. Everything was finished so quickly and they even upgraded The Garden of Glass. With all ships' upgrades and remodels, they are very confident to face the enemy held off by two of their friends.

"Alright, I think we are close to finishing." Niko said loudly.

"I'm getting a little worried. Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan aren't telling us anything other than to go to The End of Sorrow as soon as possible." Kotori said.

"They must be very busy with the enemy, but what kind of enemy are we facing?" Hanayo wondered.

"The only thing I know is that the enemy might be someone very powerful. You felt that too, right Kayo-chan?" Kotori asked.

"Yes, it is indeed very powerful. It's like a feeling we get when we are close to a very well trained mage." Hanayo replied.

"I wonder, huh? I just hope we are not facing something like Gullveig again. That woman is insane and we can't even consider battle against her as a 'winning.' It was more like a draw."

"Gullveig…." Hanayo and Kotori tried to think for a moment.

"Come to think of it, Kotori-chan, I think I sensed a similar presence when that presence crossed. But there was another presence with it." Hanayo said.

"Really, Kayo-chan?"

"Yep, I'm very sure about it. When we were battling Gullveig, I can sense her aura very well. She is not a human, not a Valkyrie, and not a cyborg either. She is her own type of creature with magical powers."

"She made her own vessel after all, right? But I wonder why she didn't make the same vessel for Eli-chan? Maybe because it was too crowded that time and she didn't want to show how she made her vessel?" Kotori wondered.

"Uhm… Maybe she is just stingy?"

"T-that's possible. She doesn't like Eli-chan after all."

Someone's phone rang all of a sudden and each of them quickly touched their own phones and looked, but only Umi and Maki actually received a text message.

"Ah, Eli asked us to bring materials for a lamp—a lot of them— and also some very long… metal wires?" Umi said.

"Everyone needs to come with each of our own… important item?" Maki said.

"It's probably our best weapon." Umi said.

"Then could this be a really hard fight after all?" Hanayo wondered.

"Maybe. We need to hurry up." Umi said

Everyone nodded in agreement before they continued working.

* * *

The chase doesn't make any result just yet;

It seems that the two dark mages are still struggling with their cat and mouse game as Gullveig and Eli waited within the darkness. Even though the mother created her own light, the amount is not enough to see everything around them. They waited silently as the two dark mages still went around them. The night became colder but the two blondes aren't bothered with it at all.

"Hmmmm…. this temperature…" Eli said—breaking the silence.

Gullveig remained silent.

"It kind of reminds me of Terra. Maybe I should pay a visit some time." Eli said.

"I sold the house." Gullveig said plainly.

"Y-You did?! You never told me!" Eli protested.

"I bought my own section. So I have a special section there now. It's no longer Ayase's residence, it's supposed to be Ayase's Section but Heidr placed a plank and named it 'Harasho Corner.'" Gullveig said.

"Oh… then I guess that's another reason for me to pay a visit." Eli said.

The two went quiet again as the dark mages rolled right behind them, but the two disappeared into the darkness again and it seems that Gullveig and Eli aren't reacting to it.

"Come to think of it, mama. I think you started to function like a lamp. That's Harasho. I'll give you ten Harasho." Eli said.

"Stupidchika, you just made my brilliant invention sounds like something retarded."

"Then why are you glowing again?"

"Because I'm a light mage and my power is based on light. I will always need my own light to be able to cast magic everywhere and anytime."

"So if you fly, will you look like firefly?"

"I'm starting to regret your existence. Stop talking."

"You weren't glowing back then, though… did you just add that function on your vessel?" Eli asked, ignoring the warning that her mother made.

"Yes, I upgraded my own vessel to match Heidr's vessel's quality. Happy?"

"Heidr's vessel looks normal."

"It looks normal because it's created with the image that I have of her in my memory and I also added the function to hide her aura in it."

"Did she say anything about the vessel?"

"She said it was too beautiful for her, but she is still happy with it because I also kept all of her trademarks that she is proud of."

"Trademarks? What are those?'

"First, it's her different-colored eyes. Her irises have blue borders and green center. There was no yellow color in it, but I added it because I wanted to. Then, the burnt mark on her right neck. I kept it because I kept my scar too." Gullveig explained.

"You are right, it's on your left shoulder, isn't it? But yours doesn't look like a burnt mark."

"It wasn't a burn mark on me, stupidchika. I told you mine was a scar."

"You did?"

"Listen to me more carefully next time."

"Alright. So what happened? You never told me about those burnt mark and scar before."

"It was my first fight with Heidr. We were both just morons back then—but still smarter than you."

"So, what did the morons do?"

"You intentionally said that, right Stupidchika? It was something personal, but what's important is that it was the time we began to call each other Gullveig and Heidr."

"Gullveig and Heidr are the same person by lore so why did you chose that name?"

"Even though we are different, we looked like the same person. Both of us are stoic and stubborn. She wounded me with her ice blade and I wounded her with my fire blade while we called each other 'mad witch.'"

"I see. You two must have had a lot of fun back then."

"If you were complaining about your childhood, then it's your fault for being oversensitive."

"No-no, I didn't complain about my childhood. My childhood was perfect. You were so caring and gentle to me and you made me grow us as I am now in your own way. I couldn't ask for a better mother than you."

When she heard it, Gullveig began to blush slightly, but instead of replying with words, she smacked Eli on her head.

"W-why did you hit me mama?!"

"Stupidchika! You are a Moronchika now! Stop being like your father!"

"I was just saying the truth!"

And before the argument could go further, three ships appeared in their area and turned on the ship's light to light up on a bigger part of the area. Nozomi and the masked woman were found easily and, by the time the masked woman tried to run on her feet, Nozomi held her back and even casted earth magic to bind her feet.

Gullveig swiftly soared up to the sky and stopped near one of the ships and it looks like she is explaining the situation. Eli believes that her mother will be able to explain the idea she shared with her before so she turned her attention to Nozomi and the masked woman called Heidr who are still struggling.

Eli wondered why Heidr didn't even try to make an offensive move towards Nozomi at all. She was so aggressive towards her mother, Gullveig, so she thought that perhaps it's because she knows that Gullveig is immortal and she probably won't die even if she tries to kill her?

Either way, she had something in mind which she concluded from Gullveig's explanation, but she needs to confirm all those things to be able to draw out a solution. But how can she engage that conversation out of her?

By the time she thought that she should maybe try to get a little closer, she noticed that Heidr is focused on her. Then, within seconds, she blasted a powerful wind towards Nozomi who was thrown powerfully right into Eli's arms. Eli caught her immediately but still had her eyes glued on Heidr.

She can see her destroying the earth lock that bound her feet so Eli quickly placed Nozomi down and ran towards her.

"Ericchi! She is a mage! You can't possibly—…!"

But right before she could finish her warning, the masked woman attempted to blow Eli away with the powerful wind but she didn't even budge from where she stood. Once again, the older dark mage blew another wind, but the blonde didn't budge again. It's like her magic doesn't even work on her. At the same time, she also realized that Eli's soul is a lot different than the Eli that she knew before. This Eli is like a Valkyrie that got stuck in a human body, or perhaps Gullveig made a special vessel for her too?

A second later, she can see the ships begin to move around her and Gullveig landed to offer her hand to her.

"Come, get on your ship. There's something that you need to do." she said gently— but still with her cold tone of voice.

Nozomi had no choice this time. The last thing she saw from Eli is that she is pinning down the masked woman so strongly. There's a part of her heart that feels jealous. She would love to be the one who got pinned down like that—and in the sexual way—but, putting that distraction aside, she needed to get something done.

The young purplenette got on the Garden of Glass. She noticed that something is different from how the ship used to look like. It looks a lot more tough and defensive than before. Plus, she can read a newly painted name on the body. It says:

_Heartbeat__→ to The Garden of Glass._

"When did this ship turn into this?" Nozomi asked.

"It's an upgrade that we made according to Eli's blueprint. Remember that I talked to you about this too?" A familiar childish voice was heard from the pilot's seat. She couldn't see the small girl's head since the pilot seat is too big for her, but she knows who she is.

"Nikocchi, you made this upgrade?"

"Yeah, with everyone's help, it's really fast. We mixed the technologies and they don't depend on each other at all. Both technologies stand on their own unlike our µ's ship." Niko replied.

Nozomi remained silent for a moment to look around herself. It seemed that Maki and Umi also had their ship upgraded and remodeled.

From 'Beat in Angel' to 'Hello, Magnetic Beat in Angel'—that's a ridiculously forced name but she knows how they are anyway. She bet Maki was against it but some people did it anyway. The new model of the ship isn't far from how it looked like before… it's still slim and deadly-looking with a lot of blades and additional magical weapons.

Then 'Anemone Heart' into 'Future Style Anemone Heart'. It's not a bad name, honestly. Or she should say that the name is the best name among them. At least it makes senses unlike the other two. The shape of the ship is not that different but there are less guns and beams than before replaced with some other marksman weaponry such as crossbows and anchor canons. The arm of Anemone Heart used to be less obvious, but the new model has an obvious hand and even legs as if it is designed to be able to walk without ruining the shape of the ground. Now that she noticed that change, she looked back at Beat in Angel, which appears to also have the same arm and legs—except it has some deadly claws at the bottom.

"Is that so? Then this is going to be good. Give me the details of the plan?" Nozomi said.

"Well, huh? Gullveig said we need to trap Heidr with a light dome. Hanayo will make the base shape of the dome, Kotori will create the glass, Rin, Honoka, and I will do the mechanical work while the soldiers will support. If you want to help, you should try to help Hanayo and Kotori or guide us with what we shouldn't do. I bet you know a lot about what dark mages can and can't do, right?"

"I understand." Nozomi replied.

"Then off we go!"

Down on the ground, Eli was still pinning down the masked woman. She noticed that her friends have started to create what they planned to make.

Having no idea of what exactly is happening, Heidr tried her best to get off, but without sufficient amount of shadow to reach the darkness outside of the light's range, she can't travel anywhere.

"Just give up, you are not going anywhere." Eli said.

"You are a strong woman, aren't you? I bet you are good in bed too." Heidr finally spoke, though her voice was more like a whisper and was muffled by the mask.

"You finally said something, but that doesn't change anything. I need to speak with you about what my mother said about you. Don't worry, once the dome is on, you'll be only talking to me."

Heidr remained silent and, for some reason, she began to stop struggling. Once the earth began to move, plants began to grow and some long wires were dropped around them. They knew that they'll just have to wait for a few more minutes until they could start talking.

The wires formed a huge dome and lightning began to strike upon it and the glass was raised to shape it. It would've been complex if they weren't using magic, but thanks to the work of the three mages and Gullveig, the job was easily done within minutes. The final touch is a bright light shining down Eli and Heidr.

Eli stood up to release the masked woman. The two began to take their position as they stretched to prepare for whatever might come to them.

Inside the ships, of the passengers were watching the events from a camera that was hidden somewhere in Eli's battle suit. They can see Heidr increasing the distance between them.

"Looks like this is going to be a private battle, huh?" Maki commented.

"Good Luck, Eli-chan." Hanayo said.

Everyone in the ships remained silent to watch their screens. Maki, Rin, and Hanayo are in Hello, Magnetic Beat in Angel, Umi, Kotori, and Honoka are in Future Style Anemone Heart, while Niko, Nozomi, and Gullveig are on Heartbeat→To The Garden of Glass.

It all started with Heidr summoning a slender sword. It has a bright purple and black grip, a small golden squared guard, and a glossy black blade with amethyst neatly carved on its slim edge. It didn't glow, but it had a black aura coming out.

"So what do you want to talk about, Ayase Eli?" Heidr asked. Her expression was still unclear but her gesture says that she is very serious about her question.

"Let's start with: Who are you?" Eli asked as she pulled out her Sword Axe, TEOS.

"There's nothing about me that you need to know. I am Miss Terra and no one else than that." Heidr got on her fighting stance.

"Then, let's try to change the question. Why are you attacking my mother?"

"She was the first to attack me. I'm just trying to defend myself."

"But when she mentioned that your name is Heidr, you aggressively attacked her."

"It's none of your concern." Heidr replied.

"You know what? It might be. A few years ago, Nozomi asked me who Heidr is. She thought that Heidr is someone with authority in Terra—and you are indeed Miss Terra—but then, you should neither have known about Nozomi nor have been able to text her phone." Eli said.

"I'm someone with authority, I have access to all residents' accounts."

"That's true, but even with that, you are also clearly a dark mage. For you to be able to claim the position as Miss Terra is suspicious, you know? It's like you have very strong connections in there, someone who could let you fit in without being suspected as mage."

"Your mother got me there. She was the one who arranged everything."

"Then you indeed have a strong connection with my mother. For her to treat you like that requires a very solid trust from her. Are you saying that things turned sour and she attacked you?"

"Maybe?" Heidr replied. There's a hint of chuckle in her voice.

"Then you must be someone else other than Miss Terra. Someone before you became Miss Terra and that's the information I want from you."

"Hmm… interesting. You are smarter than I thought." Heidr said.

"So who are you?" Eli asked once again.

"I'm Heidr. A Dark Mage. I happen to be your mother's friend. She was a pirate, yes? Isn't it possible for her to make an agreement with random people?" Heidr said.

"Hmmph, I don't believe that you are just a random person. Seven Stars of the Black Sea is the biggest Space Pirate and in order to be able to have an alliance with them, you need to be a special person who could prove your worth. So please, give me more details about yourself." Eli said.

"Well then, my husband was the best friend of the Pirate King and the Pirate King is your father, right?" Heidr said.

"I see. Then, I might know the name of your Husband. His name is Tou—….!"

And before Eli could completely say his name, Heidr dashed forward and attempted to thrust her sword towards Eli, yet she quickly parried it with her sword axe.

"Woah, there. It's not like it was his name. You came from the first Magical Flying City, by then, a married couple takes the female's family name. So his family name is your last name. Why are you so worked up about it? I don't believe you are trying to attack me because I said his name. Could you be trying to hide your own family name? But from who?" Eli asked. The masked woman jumped all the way back but still remained in her fighting stance.

"You think I'm a fool? I know you're transmitting this conversation outside. You are lucky that I'd love to play along with this stupidity, else I'll silence you eternally." Heidr said.

"Oh come on. Silence me eternally? You mean, kill me? I don't think you want to do that. After all, I'm a very important person, especially for my lover, Nozomi. You wouldn't want to make her cry, right?" Eli said.

Heidr remained silent for a moment.

"Why would I not do that? I don't really know about her other than she is your girlfriend."

"Oh? So I assume you can kill me if you want to? Then let's talk about that." Eli said mockingly as she got into her battle stance.

"Hmmph, I change my mind. Maybe I wouldn't want to kill an interesting person like you after all. I rather leave you in your most hopeless state, Valkyrie Eli." Heidr said before she once again attempted to lunge her sword towards Eli, yet Eli parried it once again and shoved her sword axe very roughly to push the masked woman away. The blonde attempted to bash the dull edge of her Sword axe toward her foe, yet her move was also parried with the strong, slender sword. The dark mage dispersed herself to her own shadow and Eli knows that this isn't a good for her so she quickly moved away before Heidr reappeared with a surprise attack attempt.

Eli quickly dodged and spin her TEOS towards her once again but it didn't reach as her opponent quickly transformed into swarm of crows. Before Eli knew it, Heidr swiftly swung her katana, which she did tried to dodge; however, the tip of the katana slashed her battle suit with ease and the cold hostile wind touched her skin.

For Eli, it's already a good display of what the katana can do to her. She doesn't want that sword to reach her skin for real. The sensation of having the cold wind touch her skin already makes her shiver even though she usually loves the cold.

"Fuuuhh…" Eli whistled.

"That's a sharp one, honey." she continued as she blinked three times while looking at the big cut on her battle suit.

"If you are being a bad girl, I'll tell you more about it." Heidr said with a hint of giggle in her voice.

"Well, I'd like to know more about you!" Eli said before she jumped to repeat the similar pattern— Hit and Parry. The sound of their swords clashing against each other echoed around the dome—the longer the battle, the harder the sound. At times, they moved away from each other to prepare a powerful strike, though it seems that the other always had enough strength to parry it.

Each movement changed according to the situation, yet none of them gave up on trying to attack the other. While the sword battle continued, people on the ship could only watch through the camera that was truly attached somewhere on Eli's chest.

"To attach a camera on her chest like that, isn't that dangerous? I mean, she knew that we were spying on her. If she knows where the camera is, she will focus on where the camera is." Niko said.

"That's the point of placing it on the vital point. Because she does not want to kill her, she will think twice about how she wants to get rid of the camera." Gullveig said.

"But in this kind of condition, is it really possible for her to not try to? She looks very cornered." Nozomi said.

Gullveig sighed at her remark.

"Nozomi Toujou, are you not aware about your own kind?" she said.

"When you put it like that, it almost feels like I have to know every single Dark Mage on earth." Nozomi said.

"Majority of the Light and Dark mages are annihilated. There's only a very small number of them living these days and you should bother to know." Gullveig said.

"I don't really need anyone else at the moment. So, no, I won't bother." Nozomi said.

"As stubborn as your mother. You really inherited her trait." Gullveig said.

"Well, I am my mother's daughter. You are just stating the obvious." Nozomi said.

"And you are also a witty ass. Such a troublesome being you are!" Gullveig replied.

"Oi-oi, don't fight now. I don't need to watch second fight in live mode." Niko said.

Gullveig and Nozomi glared at each other furiously. Niko began to wonder what she should do right now, but perhaps the fortune is upon her tonight. All of a sudden, the sound of someone getting hurt was heard from the live feed of the sword fight.

When the camera finally stopped moving, they can see Heidr holding half of her mask. A part of her purple hair can also be seen. She was also covering the unmasked part of her face with her other hand. Looks like someone is winning.

Inside the dome, Heidr and Eli are facing each other. Eli was still on her fighting stance while Heidr continued to cover her face with her hand and the half mask.

"Well, Heidr. I could remove your mask and let everyone see your face. But I'm not someone who doesn't know mercy, so… if you don't mind cooperating with me, then maybe I'll let you go with your mask."

"Don't take me lightly, soldier. But since you've got a part of my mask, maybe I should grant you another part of what you asked. I am also the Judge of Darkness. I don't side with my own kind nor those not of my kind. I stand for the justice that I believe in. There is no crime that goes unpunished before me." Heidr said. Her voice slightly changed as the mask disappeared from her face.

With what she just said, Nozomi, who sat in front of the screen began to wonder. For some reason, she feels like she has heard that voice somewhere. But where exactly? She tried so hard to jog her memory until she finally recalled one time when she saw the Judge of Darkness for the very first time.

It was the time when she went out to steal some books from the school's library and took it home with her. She just suddenly felt like a very-very-very big dragon snatched her toward the dark forest then the dragon said with the very same voice:

_Nozomi Toujou, what did your mother tell you about stealing someone's property? _

She remembers that the dragon said such a thing to her and that's also the time when she really regretted her action and apologized to her many times. Then the dragon said:

_There's no crime that goes unpunished before me, but because you regret it, I'll let you off the hook in one condition: Return those books and apologize to the Librarian in charge._

At that very moment, she swiftly ran away from the dark forest on her own and returned the stolen book to the Librarian in charge. She was forgiven and was offered with a membership card. It turns out that her mother has been a member and she could borrow the books if she asks her mother to borrow for her.

Now that she thought about it, maybe the Judge of Darkness is related to her mother? How did the judge know about what her mother told her? It can't just be a coincidence when she said it. A stranger would've said 'father' or 'parents' instead of 'mother' And, since her mother never shows different expression other than her gentle smile towards strangers, no one would know that she is actually the one who disciplines her.

"What kind of connection does she have with my mother?" Nozomi asked.

"Y-Your mother? Huh? Why so sudden?" Niko asked.

"There was just something that I remember about the judge of darkness… about my first encounter with her. I've met her more than once. The second was the time was when I left my home to practice my dark magic at midnight. At first she was against it but, since I'm very persistent, she decided to help me with my training. Since then, we've met each other every midnight. I think no one in the village knows about my training since we did it very secretly inside the dark forest." Nozomi replied.

"Is that so? Then do you think you can describe how she looked like when training you?" Gullveig asked.

"She is just in her dragon form, sometimes small, sometimes big. It's like she can control her size. She has a burn mark on her right shoulder near her neck, and she is also not someone who could be asked to meet up in specific places. It's either she's always wandering off somewhere else or she just stayed in a wrong place and was too shy to admit it." Nozomi said.

"A burn mark, huh? I wonder if someone else has the same mark on her right shoulder." Gullveig said. For some reason, she sounded like she knows well about the 'someone' with the very same burn-mark.

Nozomi tried to process what she just said… could it be a hint to someone in her past? But she doesn't believe there's anyone who has that other than the judge of darkness herself.

"I don't remember anyone with burn mark other than her." Nozomi said.

"Hmmph… I suppose you are just as bad at memorizing." Gullveig said with a sigh.

"Then, spit it out for me, will you? Who is this other person who has the same burn mark with the judge of darkness?" Nozomi asked.

Gullveig remained silent as she looked at the big light dome under them. She would just say it, but her daughter said: _If you want Nozomi to believe, she has to figure it out herself._

"Do you happen to have your mother's amulet with you right now?" Gullveig asked.

"I don't keep it. Ericchi does. She keeps it in the kitchen's cupboard." Nozomi replied.

"Do you know who the person is inside the amulet?"

"It's me. She keeps my portrait inside the amulet." Nozomi said.

Gullveig remained silent for a moment and, while her expression didn't change, she appeared to have something going on in her mind.

"I see. Now I understand something. I should've bothered to look inside it before, yet I didn't because I thought that it wouldn't be any different." the light mage said.

"What do you mean?" Nozomi asked.

"It's none of your concern." Gullveig said as she averted her gaze.

"Your mother keeps your portrait in her amulet, huh? Wow, you must be the number one important person for her." Niko commented.

Nozomi was surprised to hear Niko's comment.

"That's obvious. I'm her daughter. Why would she have anyone else as her most important person?" Nozomi said.

"Well, it could've been your father, you know." Niko said.

"My father and mother aren't that close. They are more like a team than husband and wife. Plus, I don't think she wanted to marry my father. After all, I was just made because—…!" Nozomi suddenly stopped as she realized something.

"Huh? I don't get it. If she doesn't want to marry your father, why would she make you and why are you the number one important person? Shouldn't the person inside the amulet be the person she wanted to marry?" Niko asked.

Nozomi quietly turned her attention back to Gullveig. The light mage didn't seem to change her expression, but her eyes reflected disappointment.

_…it's like losing the most important person in my life._

A statement she just heard tonight. She knows that Eli had said it but, when she thought about it again, perhaps there's someone else in that amulet. It also means that, maybe, the other person inside the amulet is also important to Eli as well.

"Gullveig! Don't overthink it right now! I'll go get it and prove it to you." Nozomi said.

"What do you want to prove to me?"

"I'm going to prove you that my mother isn't someone who can throw her love away so easily." Nozomi said before she quickly opened the ship's door.

"O-Oi oi! Where are you—…!"

Before Niko could finish her sentence, Nozomi is already gone and she saw her summoning her griffin and fly away into the darkness.

"Sheesh, you could've just told me where you wanted to go. This ship is faster than that creature." Niko said.

Gullveig remained silent and she would have said that she is mistaken since the darkness of the night is a faster way for a dark mage to travel, but there's still something in her mind and there's a little hope that was lit inside her heart, which she doesn't want to lose right now.

* * *

The Toujou's residence;

It didn't even take more than half a minute for her to travel. She quickly walked to the kitchen and started to look for the amulet that Eli kept. It's placed neatly inside the drawer. The young purplenette quickly opened the amulet and found her portrait inside it. Though perhaps that isn't what she is looking for right now. She needed to figure out where the other person's portrait might be.

She examined the amulet thoroughly, finding a thick gold surface that could possibly be a good place to hide a little piece of a portrait. She wonders if she can open it without having to break it, but it looks like someone has done a little force to it before and tore a little part of her portrait.

Right behind the layer of her portrait, she found another piece of portrait and she decided to look for something to pull it out. Since it may take too long to search for an object to do so, she decided to place the amulet in the shade then pulled it out with her mind magic.

There are indeed two portraits. One is her portrait and the other one is…. Eli?

No, this isn't Eli. Her eyes are too sharp and cold and her jaw is a little too rough. She also doesn't remember Eli having any clothes with similar collar to her. This can't be Eli so this is probably the person who she expected to be inside the amulet.

She placed it back inside the amulet and closed it. She took a moment to think of what she should say to Gullveig about this amulet though, the moment stared at the amulet, her mind took her back to the past that she is too scared to remember.

It was the time when her mother was manhandled by those pirates and skewered to death. The blood that dripped down the floor and the motionless body that she doesn't want to remember. She remembers that this amulet fell from her bare shoulder. She also remembers a mark that she never seen when her mother was alive.

No, perhaps, she is wrong. She saw that mark when she was alive. The time when she cuddled her to sleep with the song she sang for her. It's hidden right under her braided hair and clothes. But is it really the same mark as the one the Judge of darkness has?

Thinking about her mother made her start crying, but she can't show that part of her to Gullveig, especially if she wants to tell her how great her mother is. She needs to be strong and she needs to stop crying and take an action to make things better.

She wiped her own tears and started to think again about the connection of all these clues that she gathered. She remembers the time after her mother's death and the destruction that happened in the village. She walked out of that very room and saw her father's corpse where she found that glove and took it with her. She walked out of her ruined house. She doesn't know what to do back then, so she just tried to look for someone who could help her.

She didn't get any help from people around her, so she went into the dark forest to look for the judge of darkness. She remembers crying about why she was punished with the misfortune that happened yet the judge of darkness never appeared before her. That's why she began to live roughly and embraced the path she was on.

She wanted to do all the bad things she can do and use all the reasons she can use as her motivation to be violent because she wanted to be punished by the judge of darkness in order to meet her again. Her desire was only up until the time she met Eli.

Eli gave her a reason to stop and she has made her realize what she truly wanted to be. It was also thanks to Hanayo and Kotori who enabled her to keep the good side of her so that she wouldn't fully submit to the path she was on. They kept the soft part of her alive, and those three fake pirates who kept coming to her village was also a reason why she couldn't be too much of a murderer. She never had the will to kill them somehow.

Her meeting with Eli and her companions was fate, but her misfortune in the past was also fate. Everything that happened has formed her into becoming who she is right now and she doesn't have to be scared. Perhaps this is the exact feeling that Eli had about her own life until this day. It's a reason for her to love herself in the past and a reason why she should be proud of herself. It wasn't easy to survive all that bitterness and not everyone is able to do it.

Truly, she thought that she has grown enough, but it turns out that there is still an immature part of her. Now she needs to think again about the very first question: Who is the judge of darkness? Who is the person that they met just now and is currently in a fight with Eli? Why would she not harm her and why will she never kill Eli?

If she is truly the person she is thinking about, how could that happen? She needs to ask that to the person who needs to see the portrait right now. She decided to run out of her own home and hope for an answer once she returned to the ship.

* * *

The Dome of Light;

Eli and Heidr are still in battle. This time, Heidr doesn't look like she is in her full power as she still keeping her other hand occupied with holding her mask. They ran around the dome as they kept swinging their swords and clashing it against each other. The battle of strength seemed to be on Eli's side o more and more as the time progressed.

The girls in the ships are intensely watching the fight until Nozomi returned with her griffin. She quickly flew to the white ship then opened the door before she entered it and unsummoned her griffin.

"That was fast, did you teleport?" Niko asked.

"Gullveig." Nozomi called her—completely ignoring Niko's question. She lifted the amulet to show Gullveig.

The blonde light mage remained silent as she focused on the amulet. Nozomi quickly took out the portrait with her magic once again.

"Take a look at this." Nozomi said as she showed the portrait to Gullveig.

"She kept your picture behind my picture. Shouldn't that be enough for you?" Nozomi asked.

Gullveig was still silent.

"She didn't dump you. She hasn't moved on from you until her death. She is a woman with an amazing personality. She is faithful to what she believes in." Nozomi said.

"Do I care about all that? It isn't what I'm thinking." Gullveig said.

"Then what are you bothered about?"

"I was just thinking of the reason why she doesn't want to meet you. I don't care about what she feels towards me. She can do anything she likes about her feeling for me." Gullveig said.

Nozomi is surprised and Niko is even more surprised—except she doesn't understand anything about this conversation.

"You said it yourself. You wanted to prove your mother isn't someone who can throw away her love easily. You also proved me that you have become her most important person. But why is she still against the idea? I resurrected her with the same vessel I have, hoping that it could pay for all my sins against her. I wanted her to do all the things she wanted to do yet she choose to not to do what she wanted to do. It really bothers me. I want to push her to do what she wanted to do." Gullveig said.

"Whoa-whoa, what did I just hear?" Niko said.

Nozomi had to say that she is also surprised to hear how selfless Gullveig's goal is but, putting that aside, how come Gullveig can resurrect her? She knows that Gullveig also resurrected her lover to become who she is right now, but… her mother? How?

"How can you resurrect her?" Nozomi asked.

"Why would you bother to know about that? It's my secret knowledge. I can't share it with anyone but my companions." Gullveig said.

"You have companions? That's the most surprising thing I've ever heard today!" Niko commented.

"Shut up, Nikocchi. Her companions are our parents." Nozomi said.

"Our parents?! That includes my mom!?"

"Yes, that includes your mother. Put that aside, just when did you resurrect her?" Nozomi said.

"Right after I found her in Valkyrie Leyna's soul. It was on that day when you tried to kill me and my daughter." Gullveig said.

Nozomi remembers that day when she was so upset… she was also pulled aside and lectured by Valkyrie Leyna until that time she went to the garden to meet Eli who was close to disappearing. She can't believe her actions were watched by her mother all the time, but she also can't believe that she did all that stupidity.

"Next question, why did you make her Miss Terra? You are the only person who can threaten the Terra's authorities." Nozomi asked as she tried to change the awkward atmosphere.

"It was her request. She said she wanted to be Miss Terra."

"So you granted her wish, huh?"

"I told you that all I want is for her to do what she wants to do."

"Then, why did you get into a fight with her?"

"I already told you about that. I was bothered when she held herself back. I wanted her to do what she wants to do yet she chooses to be stubborn so I gave her a little piece of my mind."

"Last question, why did you set Ericchi up to fight with her?"

"Because she is the only one who can draw out her secret." Gullveig said.

"Ericchi? Drawing out another's secret? You are joking." Nozomi said.

"She tamed you, so why not? She has what I don't have so maybe she can do what I can't do. I'm not as prideful s person as you think I am." Gullveig said.

"The word 'tame' to Nozomi is pretty harsh yo." Niko commented with a smirk.

"Nikocchi! Stop commenting!" Nozomi warned her again.

"It can't be helped!" Niko said.

Nozomi turn back to Gullveig.

"I have to say. Eli is similar to you. To say that she has what you don't have is false." she said.

"It's true… she has you and she has her companions." Gullveig said.

"But you did say the word companions back then. Did that just slipped out?" Nozomi asked.

Gullveig seemed to be surprised, though her face still showed her coldness.

"Let me guess, you missed them as well, yet you don't want to admit it yourself. You are also holding yourself back so why would you complain that my mother holding herself back?" Nozomi asked.

"My feelings are not important. I don't need them." Gullveig replied.

And right after she said it, they could hear something breaking. All of them turned to the screen and it looked like the camera is already broken—with a slim purple sword appearing momentarily before it completely went blank.

"C-Crap!" Niko said before she quickly opened the ship's door and jumped out. Gullveig and Nozomi quickly followed.

They can see everyone was already trying to get rid of the light dome, though it seems that the light barriers are too tough for them.

"Step aside!" Gullveig said. Her voice just now sounded very worried. She materialized the light sword out of nowhere and the girls were finally able to see how it looked like when it wasn't moved so quickly.

It has a curved edge and is guardless. It also looked very sharp and its sharpness was proven as she sliced the dome, destroying everything with ease as it revealed the real situation between Eli and Heidr at that moment.

Eli is holding the blade of Heidr's sword that had already pierced her armor, yet it wasn't deep and she probably just did that to destroy the camera. One of Heidr's hands is still holding the mask.

"Looks like we really can't talk to each other by ourselves after all." Heidr said.

"Hah, who would've expected that too?" Eli replied.

"Mother!" Nozomi called Heidr.

Heidr seemed very surprised when she heard her being called 'mother.'

"Ah, looks like someone figured it out already." Eli said.

Heidr sighed softly. She let her mask go before she suddenly dashed out of the remains of dome and attempted to slash her sword towards Gullveig. Eli quickly attempted to catch her, though she missed her.

It's not like it will be fatal since her mother will wake up by the morning anyway, but the message of that murder attempt might hurt more than the attack itself. Before the sword could hit Gullveig, however, Nozomi swiftly dashed forward without even thinking about how dangerous it was for her since she stupidly trying to risk her life in order to protect an immortal being.

Heidr eyes widened when she noticed the very second her daughter jumped in. It might be already too late to stop her own sword from swinging, but Heidr still tried her best to stop. As fast as light, Gullveig still took the hit by swiftly catching Heidr's arm. The edge of the sword was stuck to the Light Mage's arm but, thanks to Nozomi, the swing wasn't strong enough to cut through it.

Everyone in the very places was in shock since they thought that something very bad will happen. They would say that Gullveig's bleeding arm is bad, but she isn't going to die from it anyway.

Heidr's eyes focus on Nozomi who stood right in front of her with a scared face. She pulled her sword off Gullveig's arm and dropped the sword. Gullveig let her arm down as Heidr moved to do something else: giving a hard slap on the young purplenette's cheek.

"Non-chan! What on earth did you just try to do?" Heidr's voice was loud. She finally showed her expression.

"I figured about your identity myself. Gullveig also setting up all these for you and it was also because of me. Please don't punish her. I am the one to be blamed!" Nozomi said.

Heidr remained silent.

"Please… punish me. I've been a bad person when you were gone." the young purplenette continued before she began to cry.

Her mother became speechless before she also broke out into tears and hugged her daughter so tightly. Everyone around them were also rendered speechless as they watched the two purplenettes hugging each other like a true family.

* * *

The morning finally arrived;

They are staying for the night in the place of the battle, which was easy considering each of their ships has been adjusted with the new functions from the upgrade. Other than being equipped with magical weapons, they are also equipped with other magical functions such as a portable living quarters from the white ship, a portable atelier and workshops from the blue ship, and a portable kitchen and granary from the red ship.

The police's spy woke up the earliest today, then the mages followed while the soldiers are already away from their tidy beds. Someone is cooking in the kitchen and the scent of food is spreading everywhere. They suspected that the soldiers have already gone out to help whoever was cooking this morning.

Hanayo decided to go to the kitchen as soon as possible, leaving the others behind in the living quarters.

"Hmm… this smell. Must be meat-nya! But I hope it's not fish!" Rin said.

"This can't be fish. They have different scent, you know." Niko said.

"Whatever it is, I'm getting hungry! We should go out and check it out with Hanayo-chan!" Honoka said.

"Wait there, Honoka-chan. Maybe you all shouldn't go to the kitchen." Kotori said.

"Eehh? Why?" Honoka asked.

"uhh… maybe you should help me out instead? I think I'd like to gather some alchemy ingredients around this area?" Kotori said.

"Oohh, ok!" Honoka replied cheerfully.

"Hmmm… this scent. It's very nostalgic." Nozomi said.

"You think this is your mother's cooking?" Niko asked.

"Yep, I'm not mistaken. This is her special roasted meat." Nozomi said.

"Hehe, you must be really happy-nya!" Rin said.

"Of course! I couldn't feel any better today! I can't believe this is true, but it's a world of magic anyway, so who needs to think too much about what happens inside this world?" Nozomi replied.

"You have such a good mother, Nozomi-chan. Even though she is a little…uh… unique?" Kotori said.

"Yeah, she is a really strange woman. She said she was scared to meet you because she thought you'll be angry at her? But it turns out she is the one who is angry at you-nya!" Rin said.

"Hnggh…I don't think she was angry at her. She was just worried and it's normal." Niko said.

"Ah, right, Nozomi-chan was really fearless last night!" Honoka said.

"Hehe, Nozomi-chan's mother said that she feels like she has done a sin that can't be forgiven. I understand that because my mother told me the same. To abandon her child in order to pursue her own path is always hard and painful for a mother… and they might as well not forgive themselves for doing so." Kotori said.

"Well, either way, you should cherish her from now on, Nozomi. She was given another chance to show her love to you." Niko said.

"Yup, I certainly will cherish this feeling forever." Nozomi nodded.

"Now-now, should we go out and help Kotori-chan with her ingredients? I'm very excited to start running around-nya!" Rin asked.

"Ooo! Let's go! Let's go!" Honoka said cheerfully.

"Hehe, thank you everyone!" Kotori said.

* * *

Meanwhile;

The Soldiers and Gullveig were walking out of the forest near The End of Sorrow. They gathered some fruits and, additionally, some Alchemy Ingredients that they could use for Kotori's stock.

"As expected, The End of Sorrow is truly a heaven for Alchemist." Umi said.

"Of course, how do you think the city grew that big? We had more than a hundred alchemists in the city." Gullveig said.

"But the city was destroyed in the end…" Maki said.

"I destroyed the City because they started to grow arrogant. Heidr and I never liked them at all." Gullveig said.

"Your actions are ruthless, but can you at least tell us about why it had to be done? The city could've changed with a little switch of path." Umi asked politely.

"Sonoda… you and your point of view is respectable. But I do not wish to argue with you about it. Your father and I often stumbled into this kind of thing and I've grown tired of it as we never find ourselves in the same path. I have to admit, sometimes, your father is a lot more capable of dealing with his surroundings than I am, but truth to be told, he also has his own time when he will become as ruthless as I am. The Endless Citadel claimed to be the most futuristic city and each person is reared in the most luxurious way. They think that they've become the Gods of creation and humanity. A practice to create god-like vessels are common while moving souls are often be done by force with 'for the sake of knowledge' as excuses." Gullveig replied.

"And by that, you mean that not every residence of The Endless Citadel is happy. Or you mean to talk about something worse than that?" Maki tried to confirm.

"Nishikino, your critical thinking amazes me. Yes, the Endless Citadel is also one behind the living creatures traffic. They took samples from many planets. Some of them who have proven their capability to follow up will stay in the Endless Citadel as their new resident, but those who are not will never last and might as well be one of the underground monsters which will become an object to test the power of the mages. I figured it out after I finished one of my very first courses. I was tasked to kill one of the monsters and found out that the monster's soul is actually a prisoner that I met three weeks before my test."

"How did you even meet a prisoner?" Maki asked.

"I found a Terra ID card on the street and went on looking for the owner. Turns out she was one of the prisoners who's about to be used for experiment. I saw a little part of the experiment until some adults caught me. They returned me to my mother and instead of a pity, she gave me some whipping to teach me that I shouldn't try to be kind toward others if it will only make someone else hurt." Gullveig explained.

"Ah, she meant to say that about herself, didn't she? She was worried about you." Umi said.

"Yeah, she is scared to lose you and it will hurt for her." Maki agreed.

"Truly, I didn't think of that. I thought that she meant about those people. They were saying that I was interfering with them and I thought that what I did hurt them. I've never seen my mother as someone who cares about me. She cares about others more than me, especially to the Toujou's family." Gullveig said.

"That's weird." Maki raised her eyebrow.

"So, is that related to the personal problem you had to get the scar on your left shoulder?" Eli asked.

"Moronchika, you really know when to make others spit out their embarrassing past." her mother said.

"Thank you. I love you too." Eli said.

"Yes, it was related to the personal problem I had with her. Ever since that day, I never talked to anyone else. Not even Heidr who often came to me and talked about anything so randomly. She was a very talkative person. She basically talks to everyone and when she and Hoshizora unites, no one can stop them from causing chaos. I never knew why she bothered to talk to me from the start, though."

"You are shining, I bet she can't help it." Eli commented.

"Shut up, Moronchika. But anyway, I began to lose my will to express my feelings. I became a girl who never talked to anyone nor respond accordingly. No one minded that but Heidr. She came up to me everyday just to ask how I was doing. I never responded to her at all. She even did all the talking when my mother asked me anything. She just stubbornly kept on doing that for a very-very long time. I tried to coldly say something very mean to her so that she would stop bugging me and stay away as far as she could, yet it made her even more curious about me."

"She is a lot different than what we see from her right now." Umi said.

"Yeah, she looks like a calm woman to us." Maki said.

"I'm eager to know the action part of the story." Eli said.

Gullveig sighed at her daughter.

"Fine, let's skip it to how we made those wounds, huh? I found myself confused about why she is so stubborn. I just thought that maybe her parents made her do it since they are close to my mother and knows that I might be lacking of attention. It's like they know something about my mother's motivation to be so ignorant about me. Then I told her, if that's her only reason, she's better off with others than wasting her time with me. I said that I don't need anyone's pity. I don't need anyone's love and I can live by myself if I have to. But instead of leaving, she challenged me to a duel. She said the loser will have to obey the winner." She continued.

"Then let me guess, you lost." Eli said.

"Yes, my dear Moronchika. Congratulations you are back to Stupidchika."

"Yay. One more and You'll finally call me Elichika again." Eli said playfully.

"F-for some reason, the relations between her and her mother is… uhm… uniquely lovely." Umi whispered to Maki.

"You mean to say it's foolishly childish, right? I know." Maki replied.

"So what did she ask you?" Eli asked.

"She asked me to be her girlfriend. She liked me from ever since we met each other. She said that I was born as the light and I have a good heart. The hardship that I stumbled into may have dimmed my light, but she said that she will make me shine again by proving her love to me. I was so against it at first, but a deal is a deal and I have to agree with her." Gullveig said.

"Then you fell in love with her too, right? Until that day you felt betrayed." Eli said.

Gullveig sighed once again.

"Elichika…" she whispered to herself.

"But now that everything cleared up, what are you going to do?" Eli asked.

"What do you mean everything is cleared up? If you can't explain, I'll call you stupidchika again." Gullveig said.

"You and her. Didn't she explain why she married him? She was trying to save you from a disease and it was the one thing she had to do for you. She poisoned you so that you could fall asleep until she is ready to look at you again. I bet she felt so guilty about that as well."

"There's one thing that I don't want to happen. I never want anyone to sacrifice for me. If I have to be hurt, then let me be. The time when I was so angry at Heidr was because I trusted her to understand, I trusted her to try to fight back to tell me the truth. Yet our parents had to be on my way to hear that answer from her. It was also by the time she escaped with her husband-to-be and everyone who used to be around me… I felt like all my hope in the world shattered. I felt like I was thrown back to my first belief: I don't need anyone's love. My parents refused to leave me alone, so I decided to force her to leave me be. The City made me angry so I destroyed them, along with their reputation. I made up lies to keep all visitors away."

"And did you ever realize you had a disease?" Eli asked.

"I did, after I began to morph into something really ugly. I just tried to find my own way to be able to transport my vessel before I lost my mind completely. I was physically cured, but my heart was still shattered until now."

"You are an immortal now, no one will sacrifice for you. Why don't you try to fall in love once again?" Eli asked.

Gullveig shook her head.

"I refuse. Not with your father, not with her." she said.

"But you looked like a person who needs love. Don't you think so, Maki? Umi?" Eli said.

"Huh? Well, I have not much to say, honestly. It's still her choice. I won't decide for her." Maki said.

"You are not deciding for her… but anyhow, in my opinion, everyone deserves to fall in love. It comes naturally. You can't choose that." Umi said.

"See? They agreed with me." Eli said.

"They didn't say they agree with you, idiotchika. They said I'm free to choose on my own. You said I should fall in love." Gullveig said.

"Is idiotchika level three? You know, since Moronchika is level two and stupidchika is level one." Eli said.

"Are you intentionally teasing me, Brainlesschika?"

"Only if you take it like that." Eli said with a teasing wink.

Gullveig sighed heavily at her and rolled her eyes.

"Either way, I'm still standing by what I believe. I don't need love anymore. You can also have this." she said before she began to search in her pocket. She took out a small, dark purple box with a light blue ornament and handed it to Eli.

"This is….?" Eli wondered before she opened the box. It has a pair of rings made of beautiful platinum and rare diamonds. It was crafted in the Endless Citadel before it was destroyed. This is a very-very historical ring.

"A ring box?" Maki wondered.

"But why?" Umi wondered.

"I'm going to say this for once. I might be divorced, but you, your father, and Alisa are part of my family. I don't have the right to propose someone else. Besides, you will need it more than I do. Devote yourself to a family that you will form. You have my blessing." Gullveig said.

"But, mama, why did you have these rings? Did you—…?" Eli stopped. She doesn't want to make a wild guess about the reason why her mother got these rings.

"The concept of those rings are faithful love. We happened to like the same ring when we browsed around the market. I never told her before, but I bought that for her and was hoping that we could wear them on our fingers one day. She was also desperately searching for those rings when we browsed around the market again the next day. I kept it secret since I wanted to give it to her on the right day. I also thought it might be fun to see her flustered." Gullveig said.

"Now that you said that, could that be the special ring that my mother was looking for?" Maki said

"Maybe it's also the one that my dad was searching for too." Umi said.

Gullveig showed a very little hint of smile.

"There's only one pair of those rings. Heidr might have told everyone about those rings and asked them to find it for her. It's expected from her." she said.

"Then, why don't you give it to her?" Eli asked.

"I said it. I don't need them anymore. End of story." Gullveig said.

Eli seemed to be bothered, though she decided to keep her thoughts to herself for now.

"I'm going to leave for now. Thanks for the cooperation yesterday." the older blonde continued.

"Ah, you're welcome, Gullveig-san." Umi said as she bowed politely.

"Yeah, thanks too." Maki said.

"If you two happen to meet with Valkyrie Minami, tell her my thanks for being a big help. I owe her school a demonstration of light magic."

"You got it." Umi said.

"Then, if Heidr asks about me, just tell her that I needed to go somewhere." Gullveig said before she disappeared into the light.

* * *

The End of Sorrow;

The group has prepared their breakfast tables. The cooking is finished and Heidr and the girls are now preparing them for everyone.

"I'm hungry already-nyaaa" Rin said as she placed the empty plates on the table. There are eleven of them.

"hehe, hang in there, Rin-chan!" Hanayo said when she placed the bowl of rice next to the plate.

"This Roasted Meat will taste great with rice then the sauces are going to melt in your mouth." Niko said.

"Yep-yep. It's all thanks to Heidi-san!" Honoka said.

"Heidi…? Is that how you spell it?" Kotori asked.

"Heidr or Heidi, both sounded the same to me." Heidr replied.

"Hehe, then I hope you don't mind me using Heidi-san. I think it's a lot easier." Kotori said.

"Whichever works." Heidr replied with a gentle smile.

"Say though, why did you prepare chocolate on Gullveig-san's plate-nya?" Rin asked.

"Because Gullveig loves to eat anything with chocolate. She even eats rice with chocolate." Heidr replied.

"I think Ericchi tried to do that before, but she was holding herself back." Nozomi said.

"Like mother like daughter. They really love chocolates." Heidr said.

"Well, I wouldn't get one for her though. Ericchi will end them within seconds. My poor wallet won't make it to the end of the month." Nozomi said.

"You truly already took the responsibility as a wife, Nozomi. I'm happy." Heidr said.

"Uh-huh? You know what, Heidi-san, Nozomi is actually always be the one that nagged by Eli to go on diet. She has a bad lifestyle." Niko said.

"Is that so? Then I'm glad Eli is her lover." Heidr replied—still with the same smile.

"Nikocchi, you should meet me later. I need to tell you something important." Nozomi said with a strange smile.

"N-no thanks…" Niko said with a smirk.

Soon after, the soldiers returned with Alchemy ingredients and fruits. Eli also has the ring box on her hand.

"Oo! Welcome back!" Honoka greeted them.

"Ah! Ericchi!" Nozomi quickly ran to her lover and helped her to take the fruits off her hand. When her eyes landed on the Ring Box, she began to wonder.

"Ericchi… is that…?" Nozomi stopped to hear out what Eli had to say about it.

"Nozomi, please hold these for a moment." Eli said as she shoved the fruits to Nozomi. Umi and Maki were also getting help from Kotori and Rin for their stuff. Eli walked to the older purplenette and handed the ring box to her.

"Here. This is yours." Eli said.

"Mine…? I don't remember having anything like this?" Heidr replied.

"Open it, maybe it will jog your memory." Eli said. Heidr agreed and she opened the box. The pair of rings are indeed jogging her memory, but she couldn't remember it so well, so she stayed quiet to think harder.

"My mother wanted to give it to you at the right time, but she never did. That's why she gave it to me. She said she doesn't need it anymore and I should use it to propose Nozomi, but it feels wrong to use this for my relationship with Nozomi. I think Nozomi and I are fine with searching for our own. Maybe we can find something more meaningful than these Rings." Eli explained.

"Faithful Love. That is what these rings mean." Heidr said as she gaze at the rings passionately.

"I know that. She told me too." Eli replied.

Heidr shook her head.

"Your mother is right to give it to you. There's nothing more meaningful than a faithful love. If she gave this to you, then you are the one who will be faithful to your love. I am not worthy for this." she said.

"But… she bought these for you. Not for me. These Rings kept her memory with you and your memory with her. I can't just take it." Eli said.

"Parents will pass down lessons for their children to learn. You and Nozomi are on the right track for a faithful love. Please cherish these rings as your sign of eternal bond." Heidr said.

"I… I really can't do that. These Rings are too…. Precious for you and her." Eli said.

"That's true, but, it would be even more precious to us if you wear them with Nozomi." Heidr said.

Now everyone's eyes were glued to Nozomi who's still holding the fruits from Eli.

"Here-here… let me take it." Niko quickly walk to Nozomi and took her fruits.

"Now go, go do the oath." she continued as she kicked Nozomi's ass to shove her away.

"Nikocchi! You really are going to talk to me privately!" Nozomi said.

"Shush! Just go!" Niko said.

Nozomi approached her lover who seemed to still be flustered about what she should do.

"Go on, Ayase Eli. Propose to her… you have my blessing." Heidr said.

Eli and Nozomi are getting even more flustered. Should they really do this out of nowhere?

"I-I'm nervous…Maki! Umi! Help me!" Eli said.

"Huh? Why? I can't help you out with that!" Maki said.

"Yes, I can't help you do something as bold as that." Umi said.

"Nozomi-chan! Will you marry me?" Suddenly Rin said behind Eli's back.

"Of course, Eli-chan! I'm going to marry you!" Honoka said behind Nozomi's back.

"Oi-oi! You two! Get out of the way!" Niko yelled.

"Hehehe! It was just a sample-nya!" Rin said playfully.

"Yeah, right? A sample!" Honoka said.

"Hehe, now go do it, Eli-chan, Nozomi-chan." Hanayo said.

"Uhh…I'm getting nervous too somehow!" Kotori said.

"Uh…why are you all so eager." Eli said nervously.

"Oh come on, Ericchi, why are you suddenly nervous? I thought we've been flirting with each other for a long time now."

"I wasn't prepared for anything like this!" Eli said.

"Just ask me to marry you!" Nozomi said.

"A-Alright… then… here we go." Eli took a deep breath and kneeled.

"Nozomi, will you be my faithful love?" she asked very gently.

Nozomi nodded.

"Of course, Ericchi. Please take care of me." she said as she offered her hand to her. Eli accepted it and kissed her hand before she put on the ring on her finger. Then, in return, Nozomi also placed the other ring on Eli's finger.

"There we go, as simple as that." Niko said.

"Phew…" Eli and Nozomi sighed heavily.

"Now, I suppose Gullveig has gone somewhere, right?" Heidr asked.

"Yeah, you guessed right." Maki said.

Heidr nodded.

"Then, let's just have this breakfast without her. I'll take her food to her after." She said.

"Wooo! Finally-nyaa!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Let's eat-Let's eat!" Honoka said.

From there, the group continued to live their life as whole. There's nothing more to fear and no more ghosts from the past that will haunt them.

* * *

The time passed;

When the group had finished their breakfast, they started to pack up their stuff to return to the city. Heidr also looked like she wanted to go somewhere, though it wasn't clear where exactly she will go to.

"Heidi-san, do you want us to take you back to Terra?" Umi asked politely.

"No, it's fine." Heidr replied with her gentle smile.

"Then I guess we'll take our leave." Maki said.

"Heidi-san, this is the breakfast for Gullveig-san." Hanayo said as she handed a neatly placed food inside a transparent glass box. It looks like they were recycling the materials.

"Thank you. I'll give this to her." Heidr said as she accepted it.

"Mother! Please come visit me when it's possible, ok? Ericchi will prepare food for you!" Nozomi said.

"Eli? Not you?" Heidr wondered.

"Well, Ericchi's cooking is better than my cooking. Plus, how else she can impress you if not through her cooking?" Nozomi said.

"Hmm… Non-chan, I think you need to start learning how to cook."

"She did, but she just… can't stop herself from using random ingredients." Eli said.

"As curious as a raccoon. I often did that before. You should see Gullveig's face when she ate my experimental food." Heidr said.

"Probably similar to Ericchi's face when she tried to eat my bitter sweet roasted meat." Nozomi said.

"There's nothing experimental about that! You just happened to burn it!" Eli said.

"There, Ericchi! You should let me look good in front of my own mother!" Nozomi pouted.

"I was just saying the truth!" Eli complained.

"Now-now, should we all go home? I think I left my cauldron on." Kotori said.

"E-eeeh!? T-Then let's go home!" Hanayo said before everyone quickly went to their ships.

"Goodbye! Heidi-san!" Honoka said.

"Bye-bye!" Rin followed and everyone waved at her.

Heidr replied with a gentle smile and wave. The ship flew back to the village and the land was left empty. There's only her and her glass box. She took a moment to stare into the dark forest and, in the back of her mind, something was telling her to go somewhere within the forest.

* * *

The dark forest,

Heidr entered the forest with her eyes closed. She kept moving through the darkness without stumbling into any obstacle in front of her. After a while, she reached a place where lights shines like a spotlight. There's a big tree with a swing attached to one of its branches, then there's Gullveig standing there glaring at the swing.

"Even if you keep looking at the swing like that, it won't fall." Heidr said.

"At least you know your way. You only have your true eyes and sense of direction when it's dark." Gullveig said.

"It's the reason why I always have a blindfold with me." Heidr said with a smile.

Gullveig remained silent at her remark.

"But, the darkness isn't always what I love. Sometime I want to be embraced by the light and feel her warmth." Heidr continued.

"Do you know no shame? We are both mothers. To be in a—…" before Gullveig could finish, Heidr already approached her so close and hugged her tight.

"Sssh… Gullveig. It's going to be fine. I am yours and you are mine."

"Heidr…. Think about your family." Gullveig said.

"You are my family now. We are bound in our children's oath."

"You are not making sense. They are the one who got married, not us."

"Gullveig, Thank you. I thought my daughter will be in pain when she looks at me, but you, your daughter, and her companions showed me another way. I just lost my wit when I imagined how she will cry. It was enough for me to watch her with only my soul floating around and not be able to do anything. I tried to search for a way to return and Valkyrie Leyna found me and gave me a place within her soul. Then you found me and gave me another chance. I'm so glad to be loved by you."

Gullveig sighed softly.

"You're welcome." she said somewhat coldly.

"Hmmm? What is this? Did you just accept my thanks? That's unlikely." Heidr said with a teasing smile.

The Light mage rolled her eyes before she bent down to give a quick peck on the dark mage's lips.

"Shut up, will you?" she said before she disappeared.

The dark mage was dumbfounded by the unexpected kiss, though she smiled wider as if she will make sure that she will get her revenge one day.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**BONUS:**

* * *

The Terra Mothership;

A few weeks passed. The A-Rise is doing their daily patrol today.

"They said they are going to pay a visit today, right? When is it exactly?" Erena asked as they passed through the hallways.

"Honoka said that they were using their µ's ship since the three ships are already mixed with magical stuff. Terra residence will not like it even though Miss Terra already allowed them to be here. In other words, they might already be here somewhere. Honoka can't contact me since she forgot to charge her phone." Tsubasa said.

"Strange though, isn't the µ's ship also a mix between Cyber and Magic? Why aren't people against it?" Anjuu asked.

"But at least they are not a personal ship. They are the police's ship and they will not complain about that." Tsubasa said.

"I wonder if it's ok to be here without a personal Ship. It seems that some activities can't be done without it." Erena said.

"Don't worry, they said Rin Hoshizora has prepared something for that sort of thing." Tsubasa said.

The three stopped for a moment when they finally reached an area called The Harasho Corner. The name is so awkward, yet the inside looks somewhat luxurious.

"Have we ever visited this place before?" Erena asked.

"No, but I suppose they won't mind if the police patrol here, right?" Tsubasa said.

"Hmm… interesting, what we will see inside this place?" Anjuu said.

The three decided to enter the place and they saw a few meters of nothing until they reached an open door. Inside it, there's a luxurious yard with the girls they were expecting to arrive playing around it. Then, up on the balcony, there's a blonde woman with a glass of lemon juice. She is reading a magazine in her spacesuit while lying on a sofa in her most relaxed pose.

"T…they are here…" Erena smirked as her eyes landed on the two soldiers who are standing with a remote and… the mini versions of their ships flying around? There's also Honoka and Rin who looked so energetic as they are watched the two soldiers flying the mini version of their ships.

"I'm not going to lose this time! Just you see that my Hello, Magnetic Beat in Angel is powerful enough to crush you!" Maki said in high spirits.

"The Fufture Style Anemone Heart is not a joke, even as a mini ship!" Umi said.

"Goo! Umi-chan! Gooo!" Honoka said excitedly.

"Aaaa! Eli-chan! Please let me borrow your ship too-nya! I want to play with them!" Rin begged the young blonde who sat next to a young purplenette. They looked like they were currently talking about something detailed with all those blueprints scattered on their table.

"Here you go." Eli threw her key and Rin quickly attached it to a remote control she held.

"yaaay! I'm joining in too-nya!" Rin said cheerfully.

"Wow…" Tsubasa blinked.

"Here-here, Kayo-chan! I knew it! This is a good ingredient for the ultimate growth tonic! Let's collect them!" Kotori said as she showed a book to Hanayo. A weird meteorite sit on their table.

"Mm-mm! Let's do it!" Hanayo said.

"Hey-hey, don't go too far, ok? Let me accompany you!" Niko said before she and the two mages left the room, ignoring the existence of A-Rise who stood next to the entrance. Maybe they are too focused right now.

"Is there anything messier than this?" Anjuu asked.

And right after that statement, the three police officers saw Miss Terra walking in to the very place. She greeted them with a wave then walked in quickly before she jumped up to the balcony.

"Hi-hi! My Gullveig, time for lunch!" Miss Terra said before she pressed her lips at the relaxed blonde's lips boldly and deeply.

"HmmphH!" the blonde tried to retort in her surprise.

The A-Rise's jaws dropped. None of the µ's girls were paying attention to that, lucky them.

"Heeeiiiiddddrrrrr!" the angry blonde growled.

The person they knew as Miss Terra quickly jumped down and took out her sword to parry a swift sword that Gullveig pulled out. The two started to fight as they ran out of the place while swinging their swords at each other.

"A Katana and a Shashka, is that even a fair sword fight?" Tsubasa commented.

"And you are not shaken by the fact that they just kissed!" Erena said.

"What a lively couple." Anjuu commented.

"God-damn it! They can't be couple! Who on earth would want to be in relationship with Gullveig, the most feared criminal in the entire galaxy?! Besides, shouldn't we arrest Gullveig right now?! We need her explanation about her condition!" Erena said.

"Shush, Erena. I'm still thinking if a katana and a shashka can be a fair fight." Tsubasa said.

"J-Just…. Tsubasa! Focus on the task at hand! We are the police!"


End file.
